Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Feb 21: At least five people from Bidar district in Karnataka tragically lost their lives in a road accident near Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday morning. Seven others were seriously injured in the incident, which took place while the group was travelling back from the Maha Kumbh Mela after taking a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam.
The deceased, all from the Ladageri locality in Bidar city, were identified as 40-year-old Sunitha, 62-year-old Neelamma, 57-year-old Laxmi, 60-year-old Kalavathi, and 45-year-old Santhosh. Police confirmed that the accident occurred early on Friday, on the national highway near Roopapur in Mirzapur district. According to authorities, the vehicle in which the victims were travelling, a cruiser with the registration number KA 48 M 1853, collided with a parked vehicle. The impact of the crash was so intense that all five occupants died at the scene, police reported.
The group of 14 people had left Bidar on February 18 to participate in the Maha Kumbh Mela. Seven others sustained serious injuries and were rushed to a local hospital for medical attention.
This incident follows a string of tragic accidents involving Karnataka residents attending the Maha Kumbh Mela. Just last month, two individuals, Ramakrishna Sharma, a resident of Mysuru, and Arun Shastri from Mandya, were killed in a similar road accident near Mirzapur. Their vehicle was struck by a truck as they were returning to Karnataka after the pilgrimage.
Earlier this year, four individuals from Karnataka were also confirmed dead in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on January 29. The victims, who hailed from Belagavi district, were identified as Megha Deepak Hattavarth (24), her mother Jyothi Deepak Hattavarth (44), Arun Korpade (61), and Mahadev Hanmanth Bavanur (48).
In another separate incident, a man from Karnataka was arrested for allegedly hiring contract killers to murder his younger brother while diverting police attention by attending the Maha Kumbh Mela. The suspect, who had left for Prayagraj to avoid suspicion, was apprehended by Mandya police upon his return on February 16.