AUGUSTO RODRIGUES
A 32-year-old youth from Satara, Maharashtra, died of a narcotics overdose allegedly following a party linked to the Hill Top festival, while a week earlier a youngster from Santa Cruz, Goa, was saved after collapsing from a suspected overdose at a similar event. The fatal incident occurred after the week end of February 8, 2026, while the earlier case was reported during the weekend of February 1–2.
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Vikram Barkade, 32, from Satara, had travelled to Goa to attend the annual Hill Top festival. Originally scheduled to be held at Hill Top in Vagator, the venue was ordered sealed by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) on February 4, 2026. Despite this, the festival began on the afternoon of February 5 and continued until 6.30 pm. Social media posts later announced that the party had shifted to a venue called Aura in South Anjuna, where locals alleged that loud music and fireworks continued through the night. Barkade was staying in rented accommodation near the venue. According to a local resident living close to the room where he was putting up during the festival, “He was brought home by his friends from a party late at night. There was some commotion and, after a while, they left. We came to know early in the morning that he had passed away.” Sources at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Siolim, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was brought dead late on Sunday night by a group of youths claiming to be his friends. The youth told them that the unfortu nate victim was partying at Aura. The Randox blood test conducted at the Forensic De partment of Goa Medical College (GMC) detected the pres ence of ecstasy, amphetamine and methamphetamine in his blood. “The victim consumed spurious ecstasy,” said a doctor familiar with the case. A week earlier, in the early hours of February 2, a youngster from Santa Cruz collapsed while partying at Hill Top in Vagator. He was rushed by ambulance to a nearby private hospital. “At first, it looked scary. We rushed him from the venue to a hospital, and it took the doctors a good 45 minutes to an hour to regain his consciousness,” said a member of the ambulance staff who escorted the victim. “Obviously, it was a case of drug overdose. It took near ly an hour or so to stabilise the boy. He spent the rest of the night under observation at the hospital and left the next morning with his girlfriend,” said another individual on condition of anonymity. The two overdose cases — one fatal and one non-fatal — occurred at events where loud music allegedly contin ued beyond permissible hours, raising questions about enforcement and regulatory oversight. “What happened was disgusting. The noise was so bad that I had to send a WhatsApp message to GSPCB chair man Levinson Martins. No one listened, and in the end one boy died. It now looks like the authorities are waiting for people to die before being pushed to act,” said Roysal D’Souza from South Anjuna. Deputy Collector Varsha Parab said she had not re ceived any complaints directly. “I did not get any com plaint over the phone, but it is bad that one death has been reported. I think it is time to have a meeting of all stakeholders with our Collector soon. This matter has to be sorted out,” she stated. Clarifying her role, Parab added, “I did give permission to Aura to play music till 10 pm, but not after that. Had I received any complaint, I would have called the police and ordered action.” The back-to-back incidents have once again highlighted concerns over drug use at large-scale music events and the need for stricter monitoring to prevent another tragedy.
