Nine kanwariyas were electrocuted and six others were injured after they came in contact with a high-voltage overhead wire in Bihar’s Vaishali district.
The nine kanwariyas were the residents of Jethui village and were out to perform Jalabhishek (offering holy water to Lord Shiva) at Baba Hariharnath Temple in Sonepur after collecting Ganga water from the Pahelaja Ghat in Saran district.
The incident took place on Sunday at 11.40 p.m. near Sultanpur village under the Industrial Police Station in which eight were electrocuted and one kanwariya died at government hospital, while six were seriously burnt.
Hajipur Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Om Prakash said the accident took place when the procession of kanwariyas moved around 500 meters away from the village and a DJ-mounted trolley came in contact with overhead wire of 11000 high tension wire.
The deceased are: Ravi Kumar, Raja Kumar, Naveen Kumar, Amresh Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Chandan Kumar, Kalu Kumar, Ashish Kumar and Amod Kumar.
Electricity dept. blamed
Family members of the deceased expressed anger over the Electricity department alleging when the incident took place several calls were made to the department, however nobody picked up the call.
Madhurendra Kumar, a villager, said electricity supply was cut off half an hour after the electrocution, claiming that prompt action would have saved the lives.
The angry villagers blocked the Hajipur-Jandaha road demanding action against the Electricity department. After the efforts by the local police, around 1.45 a.m., the villagers agreed to send the bodies to the Sadar Hospital for post-mortem.
Till Monday early morning, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) Rambabu Baitha and SDPO Mr. Prakash were trying to convince the people, but the angry villagers sat on a dharna on NH-322 Hajipur-Jandaha road. After 10 a.m., the villagers called off their blockade with an assurance of strict action against the responsible official of the Electricity department.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the incident and said he prayed to God to give strength to the family members of the deceased to bear the pain in this hour of grief. On the instructions of the Chief Minister, the North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (NBPDCL) paid an ex gratia of ₹4 lakh each to the family members of the deceased.
Road accident
In a separate incident, four kanwariyas died in a road accident in Katihar district in Kumarpur under the Manihari police station after two bikes collided with each other on Sunday night. All the four were taken to hospital where they died later.
