Team Herald
PANJIM: The launch day of the Sunburn Klassique, Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festival, ran into major trouble as two men died outside the venue a little after the event started at Vagator on Friday.
While speculation was rife that the deceased were victims of a drug overdose, the police claim that they died of a heart attack before entering the venue.
Venkat aged 26, and Sai Prasad aged 31 years, hailing from Vizag and Hyderabad respectively in Andhra Pradesh died before reaching the hospital.
“Two persons collapsed at around 2.30pm near the box office of Sunburn (Klassique) before the entry time outside the venue. Venkat appeared to have expired immediately upon shifting in an ambulance. Prasad expired on reaching Asilo Hospital, Mapusa. Both are
suspected to have had heart attacks and the cause of death would be ascertained after the post mortem,” Inspector General of Police Jaspal Singh said.
Anjuna police have also initiated proceedings under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
About a decade ago at two separate EDMs, two girls who had come for the festivals from outside the State, had died at the respective venues, allegedly due to drug overdose bringing such events under the scanner.
Like at every EDM, this year too, the Goa government had assured zero tolerance to drugs at the event venue.
Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar on Tuesday had said that instructions were issued to police to ensure a drug-free music event. He had said that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had issued a stern warning to police to curb narcotics trade in the State.
Ajgaonkar and Minister Michael Lobo have openly come out in support of EDMs in a bid to increase tourism footfalls, but also supported their views against the use of illegal contraband.
