22 of 23 students injured in dandiya event at MVSR discharged

Hyderabad: Three more students injured when a lighting truss collapsed during a dandiya event at MVSR Engineering College here were discharged from hospital on Wednesday, October 28.

Akshara, who suffered a spinal cord injury, is now the only MVSR student still in hospital.

Of the 23 women students injured in the accident, 13 were sent home on October 18, the day after the collapse. Six more were discharged over the following days and three on Wednesday.

Sister yet to be told

Among those discharged on Wednesday was Meena, who had suffered head injuries that needed stitches. Her elder sister Sona died in the accident, but the family has not yet told Meena.

Their father, Ashok Narayanadas, told Deccan Chronicle the family was worried about how Meena would take the news. “We need to prepare her for the loss of her sister. They had been together since childhood and were very close,” he said.

Sona, 18, was a first-year BTech student in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Wanaparthy. Meena was in her first year of Computer Science and Engineering at the same college. The sisters had joined MVSR only about a month before the accident.

Three arrested

The truss collapsed around 7.30 pm on October 17, during dandiya celebrations held as part of Sangamam-2026, the college’s annual technical and cultural festival. College director Prasanna Kumar called it an unforeseen mishap caused by sudden strong winds.

Police booked the college management the next day. They later arrested three people, including event organiser Mallela Saketh. A preliminary investigation found that the truss had been put up on two pillars instead of four. The three accused have been remanded in judicial custody.

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