Artificial rain dance claims casualty at Sao Joao
ARVIND TENGSE, MADGAO | 26 June 2013 18:16 IST
Well at Maina Chapel
The rain dance of Sao Joao celebration at a public well claimed one casualty in Curtorim in Salcete, not due to drowning, but electrocution in the well, probably due to an illegal power connection.
It was a sheer bad luck for Remy Angelo Pereira of Betalbatim, who jumped into the well after the celebration was over, merely for a video session, supposedly for a TV channel.
Maina-Curtorim police on late last night took custody of his dead body to conduct post-mortem as his family members were preparing for a funeral, without informing the police.
The tragic incident took place on Monday evening when a TV video journalist, after the Sao Joao celebrations were over, reached the spot and requested the local youth to jump into the well once again to capture the festival spirit.
With a fascination of appearing on TV, Remy, an expert swimmer otherwise, jumped into the well, not knowing that the water pump was put on.
As he received electric shock and started shouting, another youth jumped into the well to rescue Remy.
Realising that it was electric shock, the locals put off the pump and rushed them to hospital.
However, Remy breathed his last while being treated at a private hospital. Another youth could survive.
As family members were preparing for his funeral to be held today morning, the police moved into action and started investigation while sending Remy’s body for post-mortem.
The police today recovered an electric wire, ,thrown behind a chapel, in front of which is the public well.
They also confiscated around five showers, used for an artificial rain, to dance.
It appears that the rain dance was conducted by taking connection from an electric poll illegally, without even a provision for earthing.
