Governor of West Bengal Keshari Nath Tripathi with Deputy Chief Minister of UP Keshav Prasad Maurya and other leaders while immersing the ashes of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in River Ganga at Sangam in Allahabad. (PTI Photo/File)
Senior BJP leaders, including an MP and a legislator in the state Assembly, had a providential escape on Saturday evening when the boat they had taken to immerse the ashes of late prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee overturned in a river in Basti. Former state BJP chief Ramapati Ram Tripathi, MP Harish Dwivedi, legislator Days Ram Chowdhary, senior BJP leaders and Superintendent of Police Dilip Kumar were on the overcrowded boat, sources said.
They said the boat overturned and the police personnel immediately jumped into the river to save the dignitaries.
District Magistrate Raj Shekhar told IANS that the incident happened near the banks, so nothing major happened and that those who had fallen into the river were brought to safety immediately.