Hyderabad:
A first-year engineering student died and 14 others were injured after a lighting structure collapsed during a Dandiya event at an engineering college in Hyderabad on Saturday evening.
The victim was identified as Sona Narayan Das, a first-year Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) student at MVSR Engineering College. She suffered severe injuries after the structure, on which lights had been arranged, collapsed during the event.
She was rushed to a nearby private hospital but died while undergoing treatment.
Police said 14 others injured in the incident were out of danger.
Sona's sister, Meena Narayan Das, was also injured and was initially reported to be in critical condition. She was taken to Pratyusha Hospital near Nadargul for treatment.
Strong Winds Led To Collapse
According to police, the lighting structure fell due to strong winds, injuring students who had gathered for the Dandiya event.
The event was organised as part of "Sangamam", the college's annual technical-cum-cultural fest.
Director of MVSR College Prasanna Kumar said the Dandiya programme had been arranged on the final day of the fest at the request of students. He said a strong gale struck around 10 minutes before the programme was due to end, causing one of the stands supporting the lights to collapse in an area where girl students were dancing.
"We had planned to organize a technical-cum-cultural fest called 'Sangamam,' which is an annual event. Yesterday was the technical event and today was the cultural event. To conclude the event, based on the interest and request of the students, a Dandiya program was arranged. It was scheduled for the evening, around 5:30 or 6:00 pm. Unfortunately, just 10 minutes before it was about to conclude, a strong gale came. Because of that, the stand supporting the lights could not withstand it, and one of the stands fell in the section where the girl students were dancing," Kumar told news agency ANI.
He added, "Unfortunately, we lost one young student, Sony Narayana Das from the EEE branch. About nine students were admitted to the hospital. We acted immediately, using our own vehicles as it was taking some time for 108 to arrive. We promptly shifted them to Pratyusha Hospital, where they received immediate attention. Based on the doctors' advice, one or two students were taken for CT scans, and those who underwent scans have been declared out of danger. It is a very unfortunate incident. The management is taking care of everything and monitoring the situation, and we will definitely do our best to support the parents."
#WATCH | Telangana | Director of MVSR College Prasanna Kumar says, "We had planned to organize a technical-cum-cultural fest called 'Sangamam,' which is an annual event. Yesterday was the technical event and today was the cultural event. To conclude the event, based on the interest and request of the students, a Dandiya program was arranged. It was scheduled for the evening, around 5.30 or 6.:00 pm. Unfortunately, just 10 minutes before it was about to conclude, a strong gale came. Because of that, the stand supporting the lights could not withstand it, and one of the stands fell in the section where the girl students were dancing. Unfortunately, we lost one young student, Sony Narayana Das from the EEE branch. About nine students were admitted to the hospital. We acted immediately, using our own vehicles as it was taking some time for 108 to arrive. We promptly shifted them to Pratyusha Hospital, where they received immediate attention. Based on the doctors' advice, one or two students were taken for CT scans, and those who underwent scans have been declared out of danger. It is a very unfortunate incident. The management is taking care of everything and monitoring the situation, and we will definitely do our best to support the parents."
— ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2026
Victim's Uncle Alleges Safety Lapses
Suresh, the uncle of the victim student, told ANI that he received a call about the incident sometime between 7 pm and 8 pm. He said he was told that a lighting and decoration pole had fallen directly on the student's head.
He also alleged negligence and said he had been told that proper safety precautions had not been taken.
"I received a call sometime between 7.00 and 8.00 PM. A Dandiya programme was taking place at MVSR College. There were quite strong winds at the time, and a lighting and decoration pole suddenly came crashing down. My friend Ashok called me and said that it had fallen directly on his daughter's head. He told me that the injury was minor, so I needed to go and check on her... People are talking about the management, but it is not exactly as they are describing it. When I asked the hospital staff, they told me that she was already dead when she was brought there... I asked people here and also made enquiries elsewhere. They said there had been some negligence and that proper safety precautions had not been taken...," he said.
#WATCH | Rangareddy, Telangana | Uncle of the deceased victim, Suresh says, "I received a call sometime between 7.00 and 8.00 PM. A Dandiya programme was taking place at MVSR College. There were quite strong winds at the time, and a lighting and decoration pole suddenly came crashing down. My friend Ashok called me and said that it had fallen directly on his daughter's head. He told me that the injury was minor, so I needed to go and check on her... People are talking about the management, but it is not exactly as they are describing it. When I asked the hospital staff, they told me that she was already dead when she was brought there... I asked people here and also made enquiries elsewhere. They said there had been some negligence and that proper safety precautions had not been taken..." (17.10)
— ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2026
Chief Minister Orders Action
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy expressed sadness over the student's death and the injuries to others and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family.
According to a government release, he directed officials to provide advanced medical care to the injured and instructed them to identify those responsible for the accident and take tough action against them.
Police have launched an investigation into the incident, including the circumstances surrounding the collapse and possible safety lapses.