A senior police officer said preliminary enquiry revealed that over a dozen organising members of the samiti, including Pradeep Kumar, were seriously injured in the fire and they were undergoing treatment at a hospital. (Representational/File)THE TOLL in Sunday’s fire at a Durga Puja pandal in Bhadohi reached six on Tuesday, with the death of a 67-year-old farmer on Tuesday at a hospital in Varanasi, police said. The farmer, Shivpujan Yadav, suffered serious burns and died during treatment.
The body was handed over to his family after post-mortem. Later in the day, the body was brought to Bhadohi and the final rites were carried out.
Meanwhile, the Bhadohi police have begun an investigation into the incident and recorded statements of local residents. An FIR was registered against the president of the Durga Puja organising Samiti, Pradeep Kumar alias ‘Baccha’ Yadav and unidentified members of the samiti at the Aurai police station. No arrests have been made yet.
A senior police officer said preliminary enquiry revealed that over a dozen organising members of the samiti, including Pradeep Kumar, were seriously injured in the fire and they were undergoing treatment at a hospital.
The district administration, along with the local police, is also conducting a door-to-door drive in the area around the venue of the incident to check whether there are more injured persons who did not go to hospital. Superintendent of Police, Bhadohi, Anil Kumar said the main objective of the drive is to ensure that all the injured persons get medical treatment.
The puja was organised by Bal Ekta Club Puja Samiti, which has been conducting it for over a decade at the same venue, officials said.
A four-member special investigation team (SIT), formed to probe the incident, is yet to submit its detailed report. In its preliminary report, SIT said it suspected that a halogen lamp at the pandal got overheated, causing the fire. “A video of the fire breaking out was provided by the villagers,” a senior officer said.
A fire forensic team from Varanasi was also called in to ascertain the cause of the blaze. SP Kumar said the team has stated in its report that the fire occurred due to “overheating of a halogen light.”
On Tuesday, SP Kumar and District Magistrate Gaurang Rathi visited Varanasi and met the family members of those injured.
The fire broke out in a Durga puja pandal at Narthuwa village in Aurai area of Bhadohi district in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday night. Initially, five persons – three children and two women – died and 64 persons were injured.