Published Oct 21, 2026 | 3:42 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 21, 2026 | 3:42 PM
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed officials to ensure the best medical care for the injured, identify those responsible for the incident.
Synopsis: Telangana police have arrested three persons, including event organiser Mallela Saketh, over the collapse of a lighting truss at a dandiya event at MVSR Engineering College in Nadergul, Rangareddy district, on 17 October. The collapse killed 18-year-old BTech student Narayanadas Sona Chilikti and injured 22 others. The preliminary investigation found that the truss had been erected using two pillars instead of four.
Telangana police arrested three persons in connection with the collapse of a lighting truss during a dandiya event at MVSR Engineering College in Nadergul, Rangareddy district, on 17 October. The collapse killed an 18-year-old first-year BTech student and injured 22 others. The accused have been remanded to judicial custody.
Those arrested are Mallela Saketh, an event organiser, and Bathula Puneeth and Sayam Nishanth Yadav, both associated with PS Lightings and Sounds.
According to the police, Saketh, operating under the name Kriyaa Operations, was responsible for arranging the stage, truss, sound system, generator and lighting. He allegedly handed over parts of the work to other event organisers and lighting contractors.
The tragedy occurred during the Navaratri festival.
The preliminary investigation found that the lighting truss had been erected using only two pillars instead of four. Police are examining whether safety precautions were followed during its installation and whether adequate arrangements were made for the event.
The police seized mobile phones, agreement documents and financial transaction records from the three accused. They also recovered a 19-metre-long truss and an unauthorised DJ sound system from the venue.
The police are searching for four other accused, including event personnel and college coordinators. An FIR was registered at Adibhatla police station on 18 October against the college management and the event organisers.
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The deceased, Narayanadas Sona Chilikti, a first-year BTech student from Wanaparthy, was pursuing Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE). Her younger sister, Meena, a first-year BTech student in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at the same college, was among those critically injured.
The sisters had joined MVSR Engineering College barely a month before the incident. Their father said the family had chosen the college so that the two could stay together, even though Meena had secured a seat at another institution.
Speaking to the media, he said he had planned to take both daughters home for the festival on Sunday. Instead, he was taking his elder daughter’s body home while his younger daughter remained in critical condition.
He alleged that the college had failed to make adequate arrangements for an event of such scale and had not contacted the family after Sona’s death.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had earlier directed officials to ensure the best medical care for the injured, identify those responsible for the incident and take strict action against them.
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from Sreshta Ladegaam)
