Minister says Maharashtra will cover Bhiwandi man's Dahi Handi injury costs

Nagesh Bhoir, a Bhiwandi resident injured in a 2009 Dahi Handi fall in Mumbai, will have his medical expenses covered by the Maharashtra government, minister Pratap Sarnaik said.

Bhoir said he sustained a spinal injury after falling from a human pyramid during the festival and has since required treatment, medicines, physiotherapy and hospital admissions. He said he had sought help with hospital bills rather than direct cash assistance.

“I do not ask for direct cash assistance or financial hand-outs,” Bhoir said in an appeal. “My only plea to the government was to bear the actual cost of my medical treatment at the hospitals where I am routinely admitted.”

Sarnaik made the announcement while addressing Govinda pathaks at a Dahi Handi event organised by Sanskruti Pratishthan in Vartak Nagar, Thane. Bhoir said friends and well-wishers had initially helped with treatment costs, but that support had reduced over time.

Sarnaik did not specify how the state would process payments for Bhoir’s treatment.