Three children among five killed in Durga Puja pandal fire in Uttar Pradesh

According to police, preliminary report suggest that overheating of halogen lamp has caused fire in the pandal.

Five people, including three children, were killed and more than 60 people sustained injury after a fire broke out at a Durga Puja pandal at Narthuwa village within the Auria police station in Bhadohi district.

The deceased have been identified as Jaya Devi (45), Arti (48), Harsh(8), Ankush Soni (10) and Naveen (10). The fire broke out in the pandal on Sunday night and two of the deaths happened on Monday morning, said officials.

According to police, preliminary report suggest that overheating of halogen lamp has caused fire in the pandal. The critically injured victims are being treated in various hospitals of Varanasi and Allahabad.

The police have lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against Pramod Kumar, the head of the Puja Samiti which had organised the event and some other unidentified members of the Samiti under Sections 326 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon or means) and 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

After the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the administration to make sure that all the safety measures are followed by the organisers of the Puja Samitis in Uttar Pradesh and asked citizens to follow the safety guidelines.

Earlier, Mr. Adityanath directed the District Magistrate and senior officials to co-ordinate the relief efforts and ensure proper treatment to the injured people. “Chief Minister has taken serious note of the fire incident at Durga Puja Pandal in Bhadohi and directed the senior officers to immediately go to the spot and conduct relief and rescue operations and make proper arrangements for the treatment of the injured. The Chief Minister expressed his condolences to the bereaved family members and wished for a speedy recovery of the injured,” a tweet in Hindi by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) reads.