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Khelo Holi, magar pyaar se


Bura na maano Holi hai' is something you may hear a lot today as Amdavadis celebrate the Festival of Colours. It is an excuse to throw gulal or coloured water on family, friends, neighbours and, even strangers. So, beware of getting into fights or running into frenzied mobs playing with colours on city roads. After all, Ahmedabad recorded the highest number of injuries related to assault cases across the State on Dhuleti last year.



While Ahmedabad registers 16 emergency medical cases due to assault on an average day, the figure rose to 56 on Dhuleti day - a rise of 250%!

Two days ago, '108' emergency ambulance service run by GVK-EMRI put out a notice in public interest, warning people about playing Holi only with friends and relatives. This warning, Mirror learnt, was largely due to the sheer number of assault-related injuries that it had to tend to during Dhuleti.

Ahmedabad is particularly of concern as GVK-EMRI reported the highest number of injuries due to assault in this city last year. Dahod followed with 40 cases on Dhuleti. On a normal day, it registers around 6 assault-related injuries.

After Ahmedabad and Dahod, most injuries due to assault on Dhuleti day were registered in Surat with 26 cases, Panchmahals with 25, Vadodara with 18 cases, Mehsana with 16, Aravalli with 13 and Gir-Somnath with 11 cases.

Interestingly, while Botad registers one case of injury by assault on an average day, it registered no cases both on Holi and Dhuleti last year!

Ahmedabad police have also taken serious note of the law and order situation during the festival, especially considering it is close to election time.

DCP (Control) Vijaykumar Patel told Mirror, "We are taking serious measures to maintain law and order in the city. We have deployed two companies of paramilitary and 3,000 Home Guards in the city apart from regular police staff to decrease such incidents."

Speaking on injuries on Dhuleti, COO (GVK-EMRI) Jashvant Prajapati said, "There is visible reason for number of injuries. Group clashes, frenzied mobs and people applying colours on other people forcibly are the most common cause of fights that result in assault injuries during Dhuleti."

Medical Superintendent (Shardaben Hospital) Yogendra Modi, said, "There is an increase in number of injuries but they are not very violent or serious cases."

Dr Kuldeep Joshi, Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of VS hospital, said, "The number of injuries looks high but it seems to have gone down over the past four or five years. It used to be much worse."


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