BHUBANESWAR: Even as loud DJ music and its deadly impact on the elderly and ailing people has led to a growing debate, an 84-year-old man suffered a heart attack reportedly due to high-decibel music played during the immersion procession in Old Town area on Wednesday night. The elderly person’s son, who works at the chief minister’s office, called Lingaraj police station and zonal police officer several times but all his requests to turn down the blaring music fell on deaf ears.
“I called a police officer at least eight times requesting to look into the matter and direct the organisers to reduce the volume of music but to no avail. Due to the loud music, my father suffered a mild heart stroke,” said the elderly person’s son.
The family alleged that the music played during the procession was so loud that the windows of their house at Temple Road started vibrating. The organisers reportedly continued to play the music till late in the night.“During previous years, the organisers did not play the music this loud. However, this year, the area was filled with ruffians and police turned a blind eye towards them,” the family members added.
Sources said Bhubaneswar Police had asked the puja committees to not use more than four sound boxes but the sound limit and use of such devices remained uninspected.“Inspectors were conducting checking to make sure music was played as per the permissible limits. In Old Town, the organisers used four sound boxes as per our instruction,” claimed a senior police officer.
Meanwhile, Lingaraj police said it has not received any ‘complaint’ in this connection.“We have not initiated any inquiry because we received no complaint,” a senior officer said.The family said it was busy attending the patient in the hospital and got no time to lodge a formal complaint.