Tragedy hit out during celebration of festival of colours in about half a dozen districts claiming 28 lives during last 24-hours.
According to reports from Meerut,some villagers hailing from Manohanpur hamlet of Hastinapur turned unconscious after they enjoyed `Gujiyas’ during Holi Milan gathering on Thursday morning. They were immediately rushed to District hospital where Kishen lal (35), his brother Raju (30), along with three more identified as Manoj (30), Raj Kumar (40) and Mahendra (41), were pronounced dead upon arrival while condition of one another, Chandra Kiran was stated to be critical’ by the doctors.
In another similar incident in Gonda, a mother and her two children died after consuming poisonous gujiya during Holi festival on Wednesday night. Two others also fell ill and they have been rushed to the hospital in critical condition. According to police reports, the incident occurred at Dharighat village under Khodare police station area when a family members consumed gujiyas made for the Holi festival. Devi,,her son Saligram and daughter Sudama died after consuming the gujiyas while other members of the family-Dulari and Subhagata-- were admitted to the hospital. Police said that the gujiyas suspected to be poisonous have been sent to the lab for test while bodies have been sent for post- mortem examination.
In Kanpur, 8 persons were drowned in two separate localities after they reportedly went to take bath in inebriated stated after playing colours on Wednesday afternoon. In first incident at Ganga Barrage under Kohana police station, five of the youths who were taking bath in group suddenly drowned due to heavy flow of the river.
Similarly in Bithore locality of Kanpur, three youths drowned under similar condition out of which bodies of two of the victims were fished out while efforts were made to take out body of one remaining victim. Those whose bodies were wished out where identified as Rishabh Tripathi (18), a resident of Naubasta, Vinaymani Tripathi (20), hailing from Barra, Shobhit (16), Mohit (18), Gaurav aka lakhan (22), all hailing from Kalyanpur locality, Anshu Gupta (26), a resident of Govindnagar and Dinesh Saini (25), residing in Rawatpur.
In Siddharthnagar also, some youths went to take bath in a pond at Agaya hamlet of Dumariyaganj after playing Holi on Wednesday evening when three of them drowned. The local villagers later fished out their bodies. The victims were identified as Vivek Pandey (19), Saurabh Pandey (18) and Manoj Yadav (29).
lastly in Kaushambhi, seven people were feared dead when the boat carrying them capsized in river Yamuna under Sarai Akil police station on Thursday afternoon. Reports said that the boat was carrying 15 people, all residents of Pratapgarh village under lalpur police station, and was going to Kaushambi across Yamuna river when the mishap took place. Eight people were rescued by the boatmen while seven drowned in the river. The local police who rushed to the spot claimed to have launched a massive exercise to fish out all the bodies. All the 15 persons said to be returning after visiting their relative’s house on occasion of Holi.