Student dies as lighting structure collapses at Hyderabad engineering college dandiya event

A student died and others were injured when a lighting structure collapsed during a dandiya event at MVSR Engineering College in Nadergul, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, on the evening of Saturday, October 17. Adibatla police have registered a case against the college management, according to reports by Telangana Today, Mathrubhumi and the Free Press Journal (PTI).

What happened

The event was part of Sangamam-2026, the college's two-day technical and cultural fest held on October 16 and 17. Free Press Journal (ANI) puts the time at about 7:30 to 7:45 pm and says more than 1,000 students attended. A steel structure carrying decorative lights, called a lighting truss, arch or pole in different reports, fell during the dandiya. PTI reports a woman engineering student was taken to a nearby private hospital and died during treatment. Mathrubhumi identifies her as a first-year student of electrical and electronics engineering.

Police attributed the collapse to strong winds, according to PTI and Mathrubhumi. The college director called it an unforeseen mishap caused by sudden strong winds and said management arranged vehicles to take injured students to hospital without waiting for ambulances, per Free Press Journal (ANI).

Where the reports differ

• Deaths: PTI, Mathrubhumi and Telangana Today report one death. The Free Press Journal (ANI) headline and lead say two students died, while a post it quotes says one; that report cites a BJP leader as saying two girls died, citing unspecified reports.
• Injured: PTI and Mathrubhumi, citing police, say 14 were injured and out of danger. An early Telangana Today report said at least 12, with two initially reported critical. The ANI report quotes a post saying about 25 were injured, and a BJP leader saying four were in serious and two in critical condition.

Case and reactions

An Adibatla police official confirmed a case was registered against the college management, Telangana Today reports. The report says the probe will examine how the structure was installed and what precautions the organizers took. The reports read do not give the sections of law invoked.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed grief and, per a government release cited by PTI, directed officials to provide the best treatment and to identify those responsible and take strict action.

BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan sought ₹1 crore in compensation for the dead student's family and for a critically injured student, criminal cases against the college correspondent, principal and organizers, and an impartial inquiry, according to Telangana Today. He alleged tickets were priced at ₹350 and that the college failed to ensure fire safety, crowd control and first aid. These are his allegations. The student's uncle and father said adequate arrangements had not been made, per Mathrubhumi and Telangana Today. The BJP leader cited by ANI alleged negligence by management.

What is not yet known

The official cause, whether safety rules were broken, and the final casualty count are not settled in the reports read.