A 60-year-old man playing the role of demon king Ravana's brother Kumbhakarna during a Ramlila event in south Delhi's Chirag Dilli area died after complaining of chest pain. Vikram Taneja, a resident of Paschim Vihar, was taken to Akash Hospital, from where he was referred to PSRI Hospital. He died during treatment on Saturday, a police officer said.
It is suspected that Taneja died of a heart attack. Statements of his family members have been recorded and no foul play is suspected, the officer said.
The incident comes a week after a 45-year-old man, who was portraying Lord Ram during a Ramlila event in Delhi, collapsed on stage. The incident occurred at Vishwakarma Nagar in the city's Shahdara area.
The victim was identified as Sushil Kaushik, a property dealer by profession. He was taken to a hospital where the doctors declared him dead, police said on Sunday. A video of the incident went viral on social media platforms, where Kaushik can be seen delivering his lines when he suddenly clutches his chest and appears to be in distress. He then went behind the stage and reportedly collapsed there.
Similar Incident Reported In January
In January, a man playing Lord Hanuman in a 'Ramlila' fell at the feet of the person portraying Lord Ram and died on stage in Haryana's Bhiwani district. The man was identified as 62-year-old Harish. His performance was part of several events organised across Haryana to mark the consecration ceremony at the newly constructed Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. During his performance, Harish was supposed to bow at the feet of the man playing Lord Ram's character.
While enacting the scene, Harish fell at the feet of the man playing Lord Ram. As part of the act, a song was playing in the background and visuals showed Harish collapsing. Everyone thought Harish, who had been playing the role of Hanuman for the past 25 years, was taking blessings of Lord Ram and the audience even clapped.