In a tragic incident in Shahjahanpur, a wedding celebration turned into mourning as fire broke out during the Rs mehndi’ ceremony, claiming lives of four relatives of the bride, including her grandmother.
Over half a dozen others sustained critical injuries in the fire which broke out late in the evening on Saturday. The marriage was to be solemnised on Sunday. Two of the seven people injured are in critical condition.
After learning about the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief at the deaths and directed that the injured be given proper treatment. He expressed condolences to the bereaved families wishing peace for the departed souls.
Reports said that the marriage of Sonakshi, daughter of Guddi Devi Yadav, the head of Vikrampur village under Jalalabad police station of Shahjahanpur, was to take place with Ajit Yadav, a native of Etah's Jaisra village on Sunday. On Saturday, the Rs mehndi’ ceremony was taking place and a large number of ladies, including relatives and friends of the bride, had gathered in the house. Many relatives were also busy preparing food on the occasion.
The mishap took place when due to leakage in a cooking gas cylinder fire broke out in the area. The incident took an ugly turn when two more LPG cylinders being used to prepare food caught fire and exploded, engulfing the entire area in fire. The neighbours and some guests tried to douse the fire and also called the fire tenders.
Reports said that Sonakshi's cousin, former gram pradhan Munni Devi, maternal grandmother Ganga Devi, a resident of Fatehpur village in Alhaganj, Neelam, a resident of Jalalpur village of maternal sister Kalan, and maternal sister Vandana died by the time the fire was put out with the help of the villagers.
Seven other people, including the bride's cousin Alok, who sustained burns, and aunt Manorama, who lives in Shamshabad, Farrukhabad, were taken to the district hospital in Farrukhabad. The condition of Vandana and one more person was said to be critical.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Satish Chandra and Jalalabad Circle Officer Massa Singh reached the spot late in the evening to enquire about the matter. Local police registered a case and sent the bodies for autopsy.
Meanwhile in Unnao, a man drowned in the river Ganga while his father-in-law was rescued when both of them fell into the river during immersion of ashes on Sunday afternoon.
Reports said that while immersing the ashes of a kin at Chandanghat in Jajmau area of Unnao, Gyan Singh of Khadra in Lucknow and his son-in-law Rajat Kumar (30) of Niralanagar fell into the river. The divers present there saved Gyan Singh while Rajat Kumar was feared drowned.
Jajmau police outpost in-charge Mohit Kanojia said that Gyan Singh's son had died in a road accident and his ashes were being immersed in the Ganga at Jajmau.
In Rae Bareli, a boy, who had gone to graze cattle, died after falling in the safety tank at the under construction site of Ayurvedic hospital on Sunday afternoon.
Anuj (9), a resident of Lala Ka Purva of Pratapgarh district, lived with his maternal grandfather Harishankar Gupta, a resident of Sudamapur in Kakoran under Gadaganj police station area. He had gone to graze buffaloes near the construction site of an Ayurvedic hospital and suddenly Anuj fell in the safety tank which was full of rain water and drowned.
A case was registered and the body was sent for autopsy.