UP: Villages stage protest after six Kanwariyas electrocuted to death in Meerut

Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 16 (ANI): The villagers in Meerut staged a protest after six kanwariyas were electrocuted to death when their vehicle they were travelling in came in contact with an high-tension overhead wire in the Bhagwanpur area.

“Yesterday, during Kanwar Yatra, a DJ vehicle came in contact with an electric wire, in which 6 people died and 6 are undergoing treatment. Efforts are being made to provide financial assistance to their families,” said Kamlesh Bahadur, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Bhavanpur.
The situation turned chaotic when the villagers blocked the road and staged a protest by putting the bodies of the deceased on the road.

Meanwhile, police and BJP district president Vimal Sharma were present at the spot.

In another incident, five Kanwariya were electrocuted to death while five others were injured after the vehicle they were travelling in came in contact with an 11kv power live near a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district on Saturday evening, officials said.

Notably, the Kanwar Yatra commenced on July 4.

The ‘Kanwar Yatra’ is an annual pilgrimage for Lord Shiva’s devotees. The Kanwariyas visit places like Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch the holy water of River Ganga and then worship God with the same water.