3 electrocuted to death,6 hurt in rush to hear Bhojpuri singer

The accident occurred around noon when thousands had gathered to celebrate the occasion. The crowd,which went berserk after Bhojpuri singer Kesari Lal Yadav came to the stage,jostled with each other to get a glimpse of him. As a camera crane set up at the venue panned to capture the swelling crowd,it hit the overhead 11 KV high tension wires.

A loud explosion followed and people were seen running for their lives. A stampede was averted,as the district police had managed to keep all roads around the venue empty.

The deceased have been identified as Sanjay Kumar,Gurjeev Singh and Umesh Kumar. Four among the crowd who sustained injuries — Uday Singh,Niranjan Singh,Davinder Singh and Manoj Kumar — were rushed to the nearby Mohan Dai Oswal Cancer Hospital,where their condition is said to be critical. Sound operators Ranjit Singh and Guddu also received injuries.

Following the incident,DC Rahul Tewari,DCP Ashish Chaudhry and other senior officials rushed to the spot. “The Shivratri function was organised by Sri Mattdata Skati Dham — a religious body — and it had sought permission for the same. We have booked the organisers for negligence,as they should have ensured that the stage and the crane were not in a position to touch the high tension wires,” said Focal Point SHO Kanwarjit Singh.

He added: “Kesari Lal Yadav is a popular Bhojpuri singer and this area being thickly populated by migrants,large number of people had gathered to see him. When people began surging towards the stage,the crane toppled and it touched the high tension wires. People,who had touched the crane,alongwith the crew members,received shocks.”

Later,MLA Harish Rai Dhanda,Mayor Hakam Singh Gill and migrant leader Sitambar Singh reached the spot. Dhanda said SDM Vijay Gupta will take up the issue of compensation for the deceased and free treatment for the injured with the government.