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Bhiwani/Haryana: In an unfortunate event, a man, Harish Mehta, a stage actor in the north Indian town of Bhiwani, died of a heart attack in the middle of a performance in a Ramlila on Monday. The Ramlila was organised in Haryana’s Bhiwani to mark the grand inauguration of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Local reports stated that he died while performing on stage with the actor who played Lord Ram in the production. Harish had been playing the role of Hanuman in Basukinath Ramleela Committee’s production for the last 25 years.
The incident occurred during an event called “Raj Tilak” in honour of Lord Ram that was being held at the Jawahar Chowk area in Bhiwani.
In a video of the shocking incident, Harish Mehta can be seen dancing donned as Lord Hanuman at a local event. The act was supposed to concluded with him touching Lord Ram’s feet. As Harish Mehta suffered a heart attack in the middle of the performance, he fell on the floor. People confused it as a part of the act and didn’t come to his rescue. It was after he did not get up and was unresponsive for over a minute that people realised it was a medical emergency.
The enactment involved a ritual where, as part of the performance, Hanuman was to bow down at the feet of Lord Rama. As Harish took the position to bow down at Lord Ram’s feet, he suddenly collapsed, and his lifeless body left the audience in shock. For a while, spectators believed that it was a part of the act, but when attempts were made to pick him up from the stage, he did not respond.
Harish Mehta, still in his Hanuman costume, was rushed to the hospital, where doctors pronounced him ‘brought dead’.
Harish had retired from the post of Junior Engineer in the electricity department. As a stage artist, he had been playing the role of Hanuman for the past 25 years.
The tragic death of Harish Mehta came amid the nationwide celebration of the ‘Pran Pratishthan’ ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Earlier in the day, a 65-year-old man suffered a heart attack while he was in Ayodhya to witness the highly-anticipated ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Lalla’s idol.
However, a swift response team quickly evacuated him and provided on-site treatment. Once his condition stabilised, Srivastava was transported to the civil hospital for further observation and specialised care.
Large-scale celebrations were held in different parts of the country. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the consecration of the grand Ram Temple, which was watched by lakhs of people on television and social media at their homes
