Elderly man suffers heart attack in 'loud DJ music' during Durga Puja immersion 

An elderly man suffered a heart attack allegedly due to the ear-splitting DJ sound played during the immersion procession of Goddess Durga in the Old Bhubaneswar area on Thursday. 

According to sources, an immersion procession of Goddess Durga was passing through a lane in Old Bhubaneswar area. Due to the loud DJ music played out during the procession, an elderly person suffered a heart attack. Family members immediately rushed him to a private hospital, where he is undergoing treatment. 

While the identity of the patient is yet to be ascertained, the incident has sparked concerns as the Commissionerate Police had banned DJ music in immersion processions. 

“When a procession with DJ music passes in front of our house, I notice my heartbeat increases. Since I am a heart patient, my doctor has advised me to avoid loud DJ music. I have heard that the government banned DJ music. But it is very much in use,” said Baikunthanath Das, an Old Bhubaneswar resident. 

Echoing the same, another elderly resident of the Old Bhubaneswar area said, “Even the walls of my house vibrate due to the DJ music. I had to cancel DJ music at my son’s wedding following requests from some guests and my priest. It is very harmful.” 

Ahead of the onset of the festive season, there were demands that the high-decibel DJ music specifically played during the immersion procession should be banned. Prior to Durga Puja, Niranjan Mallick, chief scientist of the State Pollution Control Board had told OTV that a letter would be issued to the district Collectors and SPs to take stern action against violators of sound norms.

According to experts, any sound at or above 85 decibels is more likely to damage hearing over time. The sound from the DJ music system is over 100 to 120 decibels. Experts believe that such loud sounds can be harmful to the human ears and it can affect the nerves of the brain and heart leading to brain stroke and heart attack.