Kalkaji Temple stage collapse: Temple to hospital, search for wife ended in mourning

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, January 29

“Had no clue about what happened till morning,” said Ved Prakash, a vegetable seller who lost his wife in the stage collapse incident in the Kalkaji Temple on Sunday.

During the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday at 12.30 am, a stage collapsed during a “jagran” at Mahant Parisar in the Temple. Tina (54) had come to attend the event with her neighbours.

Prakash said, “I only got know that she had gone to attend the jagran after I came back from work at night. She was to return late at night. I started inquiring after she did not return even by the next morning.”

He said her phone was switched off and he later got to know that an accident had happened at the temple. “I went to search for her at the temple, but we could not find her,” he added.

“There were injured persons everywhere but we could not find her. So I, along with my son Balraj, went to the Kalkaji police station. The police said that she was receiving treatment at the hospital. However, by the time we reached, she had already succumbed to her injuries.”

The deceased was a resident of Tughalakabad Extension in RZ Colony. Prakash said, “She used to take care of our youngest son who is suffering from blood cancer. Now I don’t know how will I manage everything without her.”

Over 1,600 people had attended the religious event. Rajesh Deo, DCP, Souteast Delhi, had said that the platform collapsed as it could not bear the weight. No prior permission was taken to organise the event, the police said.