Truck carrying kanwariyas comes in contact with overhead wire in Rajasthan; 2 dead, 30 hurt

Two persons were killed and 30 others injured when a truck carrying kanwariyas came in contact with a hanging overhead power line at a village in Rajasthan's Alwar district on Wednesday, a police officer said.

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The group of kanwariyas and locals were performing a 'parikrama' or circumambulation of the Beechganwa village in a truck when the vehicle came in contact with the electric wire. After the parikrama, the group was to head towards a temple.

"Two persons have died and around 30 are injured," the officer said, adding that three of the injured are said to be in a critical condition.

The deceased were identified as Gopal (22) and Suresh Prajapat (40), both residents of Beechganwa.

A video of the incident has surfaced on social media. It shows a group of devotees dancing, before several of them, who were walking close to the truck, suddenly collapsing to the ground. The electric current from the overhead wire hit several devotees within seconds.

The devotees were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals, where two were declared dead.

After the incident, irate locals protested by blocking the Laxmangarh-Mundawar road.

They alleged that complaints about the loose hanging power lines had been submitted to the authorities concerned but no action was taken.

They blamed the electricity department for negligence. "Despite several requests, the department did not take corrective action," said a villager.

The protest, which lasted about five hours, ended after the villagers and local administration reached a consensus.

Laxmangarh tehsildar Mamta Kumari said she was not aware of any such complaint.

However, the administration assured the villagers that proper medical care would be provided to the injured and a detailed investigation would be conducted into the cause of the incident.

Beechganwa residents said the locals held kanwar yatra annually, and the procession had reached the village outskirts on Tuesday night.

Forest Minister and Alwar city MLA Sanjay Sharma visited the victims at the Alwar government hospital and enquired about their condition.