Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) : The death of five Kanwariyas due to electrocution at Uttar Pradesh's Meerut had sent the pilgrims and local people into a tizzy. The accident took place when the Shiva devotees on Kanwar Yatra were returning from Haridwar after collecting the holy water from the River Ganges there. Following this, a high level inquiry committee has been ordered into the mishap which resulted from the DJ vehicle of Kanwariyas coming in contact with a live high tension line.
Meerut Divisional Commissioner J Selva Kumari has ordered the high level inquiry amid allegations by the public and opposition leaders that safety measures were not taken by the officials concerned. In this incident, five more Kanwariyas sustained burn injuries and the condition of two of them was stated to be critical.
The Kanwar Yatra was passing through the Bhavanpur police station area when the horrific incident happened. The DJ of the Kanwariyas came in contact with the 11,000 KV high tension line. The ADG Rajeev Sabharwal and IG visited the hospital and enquired about the condition of the victims. The DM and Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited have been instructed to investigate the matter.
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Chaitra V, MD of Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, said that a departmental inquiry was being conducted into the accident caused due to DJ coming in the grip of high tension wire. Whoever would be found guilty, action will be taken as per rules, the MD said.
On the other hand, there was a tense atmosphere in Rali village due to this accident. The villagers fiercely confronted the police and the administration. The villagers are holding the electricity department employees responsible for the accident. When Samajwadi Party's District President Vipin Chaudhary reached the accident spot, he too had to face the anger of the villagers.
When the villagers said that they had come here to do politics, the SP District President said that he was a resident of a neighboring village and came there to extend his cooperation. Later, the Samajwadi Party demanded the suspension of the JE of the Electricity Department and strict action against those responsible for the accident. Along with this, the SP has also appealed to the state government to give compensation to the victims' families.
