Drone from Wankhede show falls on commuter at Churchgate, two drones seized

A 37-year-old commuter was injured at Churchgate railway station in Mumbai on Wednesday, October 28, when a drone from a show at the nearby Wankhede Stadium went out of control and crashed onto Platform 3. Two drones in all came down on the platform, and the incident set off panic among passengers.

The mishap took place at around 8.10 pm. Commuters were waiting for trains on the platform, which handles Virar-bound services, when the drones dropped from the sky. The injured man has been identified as Hemant Prakash Mahotsavkar. He was standing towards the Virar end of the platform when one of the drones struck him squarely on the head. Blood began to flow heavily, and for a while nobody on the platform understood what had happened. Eyewitnesses told police the drone fell directly on his head.

The drones belonged to a show staged at the stadium the same evening as part of a telecom company's event. The programme was held to mark the Jio Platforms IPO and was organised by BotLab Dynamics. Using coordinated drone formations, it presented the company's story so far, the vision of the Reliance Group and the idea of a digital India.

Railway security personnel reached Mahotsavkar quickly and gave him first aid. ASI Shankarlal Meena, Head Constable Gaurav Parmar and Akash Gaikwad of the Maharashtra Security Force came to the spot after being informed. A doctor from a 108 ambulance then treated him on the platform.

According to railway police, Mahotsavkar initially said he wanted to go home and gave a written statement. About 15 minutes later, he said he needed more treatment. He was then taken by ambulance and admitted to GT Hospital.

Once he had been moved, the Churchgate Government Railway Police (GRP) took both fallen drones into custody. A case has been registered against unknown persons. A preliminary inquiry has established that both machines were part of the Wankhede show. Police say they may have strayed to the station because they lost control or developed a technical fault.

Investigators are now trying to determine how the drones travelled from the stadium straight to the station and what the actual cause was. They will also examine whether anyone was negligent or whether safety norms were violated.