<p> As Maharashtra celebrated Krishna Janmashtami on Thursday, several mandals protested in different ways and means.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Some even violated the height restrictions of 20 feet set by the Supreme Court for human pyramids for the dahi-handi ritual.<br /><br />During the celebrations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) around 100 people were injured, while the police registered around two dozen offences for violating the norms of the apex court. <br /><br />During the festival, Govindas, as the participants are called, re-enact the myth of Lord Krishna stealing butter from a hanging plot, known as the dahi-handi. <br /><br />Reports reaching from various places of MMR, comprising Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban districts, and parts of neighbouring Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts, suggested low-key celebrations. <br /><br />126 injured<br /><br />In MMR, which has around 800 to 1,000 dahi-handi or Govinda-pathaks, more than 126 people were injured during the celebrations. <br /><br />In Mumbai, from 8 am to 6 pm, 71 Govindas sustained injuries, according to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation. Of these, 92 were given first aid, while 34 have been admitted to hospitals for observation. <br /><br />Several revellers sported black bands to protest against the height (20 feet maximum) restrictions and age (participants need to be over 18 years) imposed by the Supreme Court. In a mandal at Thane, the person at the top of the pyramid carried a measuring tape by his teeth to ensure that he did not go beyond 20 feet. In Chinchpokli in Mumbai, MNS activists used a ladder to reach the top of the pyramid to break the dahi-handi, while one mandal formed a nine-layered human pyramid on the ground.<br /><br />In Naupada in Thane district, the police served a notice to local MNS leader Avinash Jadhav, whose mandal allowed the formation of a nine-layered (around 40 plus feet) pyramid by Jai Jawan Govinda Pathak of Jogeshwari, which holds a Guinness record.<br /><br /> In fact, MNS President Raj Thackeray had criticised the SC-imposed restrictions. Asked about the case police has slapped, Jadhav said: “Saheb (Raj Thackeray) has 92 cases against him...this is just one...we had promised nine-layered pyramid...it is done...we had promised Rs 11 lakh prize...that is done...now whatever has to be done, it is by police”. Jadhav, the Thane MNS chief, was seen wearing a T-shirt that read “hoye, mi kayda modnar” ( I will break the law). The Jari Mari Govinda Pathak stopped at the Mahim dargah and offered its respect to Makhdum Ali Mahimi, as a mark of communal harmony. <br /><br />At Mumbai Football Club's dahi-handi Ranbir Kapoor was present with Yuva Sena President Aditya Thackeray. Several other celebrities too visited dahi-handi mandals.<br /><br /></p>
<p> As Maharashtra celebrated Krishna Janmashtami on Thursday, several mandals protested in different ways and means.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Some even violated the height restrictions of 20 feet set by the Supreme Court for human pyramids for the dahi-handi ritual.<br /><br />During the celebrations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) around 100 people were injured, while the police registered around two dozen offences for violating the norms of the apex court. <br /><br />During the festival, Govindas, as the participants are called, re-enact the myth of Lord Krishna stealing butter from a hanging plot, known as the dahi-handi. <br /><br />Reports reaching from various places of MMR, comprising Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban districts, and parts of neighbouring Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts, suggested low-key celebrations. <br /><br />126 injured<br /><br />In MMR, which has around 800 to 1,000 dahi-handi or Govinda-pathaks, more than 126 people were injured during the celebrations. <br /><br />In Mumbai, from 8 am to 6 pm, 71 Govindas sustained injuries, according to the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation. Of these, 92 were given first aid, while 34 have been admitted to hospitals for observation. <br /><br />Several revellers sported black bands to protest against the height (20 feet maximum) restrictions and age (participants need to be over 18 years) imposed by the Supreme Court. In a mandal at Thane, the person at the top of the pyramid carried a measuring tape by his teeth to ensure that he did not go beyond 20 feet. In Chinchpokli in Mumbai, MNS activists used a ladder to reach the top of the pyramid to break the dahi-handi, while one mandal formed a nine-layered human pyramid on the ground.<br /><br />In Naupada in Thane district, the police served a notice to local MNS leader Avinash Jadhav, whose mandal allowed the formation of a nine-layered (around 40 plus feet) pyramid by Jai Jawan Govinda Pathak of Jogeshwari, which holds a Guinness record.<br /><br /> In fact, MNS President Raj Thackeray had criticised the SC-imposed restrictions. Asked about the case police has slapped, Jadhav said: “Saheb (Raj Thackeray) has 92 cases against him...this is just one...we had promised nine-layered pyramid...it is done...we had promised Rs 11 lakh prize...that is done...now whatever has to be done, it is by police”. Jadhav, the Thane MNS chief, was seen wearing a T-shirt that read “hoye, mi kayda modnar” ( I will break the law). The Jari Mari Govinda Pathak stopped at the Mahim dargah and offered its respect to Makhdum Ali Mahimi, as a mark of communal harmony. <br /><br />At Mumbai Football Club's dahi-handi Ranbir Kapoor was present with Yuva Sena President Aditya Thackeray. Several other celebrities too visited dahi-handi mandals.<br /><br /></p>
