Festival Goer From Mumbai Dies At Vh1 Supersonic Dance Fest In Goa

Mumbai-based fashion designer, Isha Mantry, died on Monday night at dance music festival Vh1 Supersonic.

The 27-year old, attended the event with 13 other people, who have denied allegations of drug abuse in their official statements to the police. They stated that she had been feeling unwell since her arrival in Goa and that her death was a result of extreme exhaustion. Mantry passed out at the festival on Monday night and was taken to a first aid unit after which she was shifted to a private hospital, Mathew Braganza Hospital & Research Centre in Calangute. She was declared dead at 11:30 pm.

Organizers Viacom 18 have refused to comment and festival curator Nikhil Chinapa was unavailable for comment. New Delhi bass artist Nucleya, who attended the festival said that he had not heard about the incident until this morning. Speaking about his experience, he says, “I do know a lot of people who do drugs at festivals, but they need to be wise about it. Drugs have been around for ages, and if people do decide to do them, they should be done in moderation. It’ quite disheartening to hear about this.”

Goa SP Priyanka Kashyap stated to press that a case of unnatural death had been registered and they would be conducting further investigations. A similar case was registered in 2009, after a Bengaluru techie, Meha Bahuguna, died under similar circumstances at Sunburn festival in Candolim. Both incidents have sparked outrage from state bodies who link EDM festivals to drug abuse and disruptive behavior.

Mantry’s postmortem will be conducted after her parents arrive in Goa this afternoon.