Police book Ram Lila organisers for girl’s death
October 7th, 2011 - 11:59 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) The Delhi Police has registered a case against the organisers of Dussehra celebrations at Ram Lila Maidan after a seven-year-old girl died when a log of wood from the burning effigy of Kumbhakaran fell on her, police said Friday.
“We have registered a case of causing death by negligence against the organisers,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Aslam Khan told reporters.
The case under section 304-A under Indian Penal Code was registered against the Sri Ram Lila Committee.
The Dussehra celebrations at the Ram Lila Maidan Thursday evening turned tragic for the family of Bhavya Gupta after a log of burning wood from the effigy of Kumbhakaran fell on her.
Bhavya, the only child of 29-year-old widow Varsha Gupta, died at Lok Nayak Hospital during treatment Thursday night. Bhavya was a resident of Paharganj in central Delhi and a student of Guru Harkrishan Public School.
“Her body was handed over to the family members after post-mortem,” said Khan.
Bhavya’s aunt, Mohini Gupta told IANS: “I along with Bhavya, her mother and neighbours were standing near the effigy. Bhavya was feeling hungry and insisting for food. We decided to leave.”
“But Bhavya had different fate awaiting,” said Rajesh, a neighbour.
Mohini Gupta laments that they were leaving the ground before the fire show was over.
“Varsha and I were holding Bhavya’s hands and were moving towards the exit gate when a wooden log from the effigy came off. We moved quickly, but the heavy piece struck her directly on the face,” said Mohini Gupta.
They pulled out Bhavya, who was lying in a pool of blood from the log. Meanwhile, fire officials arrived to rescue her.
Bhavya was taken to the hospital where she died during treatment.
Varsha, who did not want to visit the Ram Lila Maidan but had gone on her daughter’s insistence, is inconsolable at her daughter’s death.
Bhavya was the only child of Varsha Gupta. After her marriage with Pankaj Gupta, Varsha had shifted to Amritsar in Punjab with her husband.
Barely two years after their marriage, Pankaj was killed in a road accident in Amritsar when Bhavya was only a year old.
After Pankaj’s death, Varsha along with Bhavya, came to her parents’ home in Delhi.
Her father, Shiv Kumar, is on the managing board of the Sri Ram Lila Committee.
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Tags: aslam khan, burning effigy, central delhi, commissioner of police, delhi police, deputy commissioner, dussehra celebrations, exit gate, fire officials, fire show, guru harkrishan, indian penal code, maidan, mohini, nayak, paharganj, pankaj gupta, police book, pool of blood, sri ram