Ayodhya Family Dies in Second Home Explosion

A day after the incident, police found the body of a sixth victim, a woman; her identity is yet to be confirmed. The 5th victim was a helper, said officers.

Written by Manish Sahu

Updated: October 10, 2025 05:45 PM IST

2 min read

Ram Kumar Gupta and his children died in a second deadly explosion at their Ayodhya home, weeks after a previous blast claimed other family members.

Police suspect a cylinder blast but are investigating the exact cause. ( (ANI Video Grab)

Ram Kumar Gupta ran an atta chakki (flour mill) from his home in Pagra Bhari village, in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. In April last year, a powerful blast tore through the house, killing his mother, wife, and a neighbour. Gupta alias Pappu and his three children were injured in the incident, police said.

In the months that followed, Gupta bought land on the outskirts of the village, built a new home, and moved in with his children.

But tragedy struck again. On Thursday, another blast occurred — this time claiming the lives of Gupta, his children, and a helper named Ram Jeeman.

A day after the incident, police found the body of a sixth victim — a woman — from the debris. Her identity is yet to be confirmed.

“During the rescue operation today, we recovered the body of a woman. Her identity is yet to be ascertained,” said Additional Superintendent of Police, Ayodhya, Devesh Chaturvedi.

A police officer said when they were investigating the incident, they were informed of the previous blast that had claimed the lives of Gupta’s mother, Shivpata; his wife, Bindu; and a neighbour, Priyanka (19).

Sanjeev Singh, Station House Officer of Pura Kalandar Police Station, said police are currently collecting detailed information about the earlier incident and are speaking with local residents to ascertain what had happened.

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A police officer said after the death of Gupta’s wife, a distant relative had been staying with the family. Police suspect the body found on Friday could be hers.

On Thursday evening, Gupta’s house was turned to rubble after the explosion. Neighbours rushed to the spot and subsequently informed the police.

The five victims were pulled out from the debris and taken to a nearby hospital; doctors later declared them dead.

Police said while prima facie the explosion appears to have been caused by a cylinder blast, the exact reason is still under investigation. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had taken cognisance of the incident and expressed deep condolences over the loss of lives.

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