Hubballi: Eight of the nine Ayyappaswamy Devotees (Maladharis), who were seriously injured in a cylinder explosion incident that took place in a building in Achhavvana Colony, Unakal in the city on the night of December 22, have died. The families of the deceased are shocked by the incident.
Of the nine devotees, who were seriously injured in the incident, 12-year-old Vinayak has recovered. The others, Nijalingappa Bepuri (58) and Sanjay Savadatti (19), died first.
On December 27, Raju Moogera (16) and Sainagar Lingaraj Biranur (19) of Unakal died. On December 29, Shankar Chavan (30), Manjunath Wagmode (18) and Tejaswar Satare (26) passed away. Prakash Barakera (42) died on December 31 morning. Except for Prakash Barakera and Nijalingappa, all the deceased were unmarried and the sole breadwinners of the family.
Prakash Barakera, a resident of Sainagar, was working as a cook at the ISKCON temple. Prakash, who was the pillar of support for the entire family, had been wearing the Ayyappa Swamy mala for the past six years. He had also been bringing his 12-year-old son Vinayak from two years as maladhari.
Out of the nine people, who were caught in the cylinder explosion, six of them jumped off the building. But Prakash, risking his own life, saved his son Vinayak from the fire. Prakash, along with another devotee, hugged his son, which saved the boy Vinayak from serious burns. Prakash breathed his last yesterday with serious injuries. The incident has plunged the family into a sea of grief.
Dream of becoming a soldier shattered: "Deceased Sanjay Savadatti, who had a dream of becoming a soldier, did his primary education at Siddaganga Math and was studying for his first year BA at a private college. This was the first time he wore an Ayyappa swamy mala. He had taken responsibility by selling vegetables during COVID-19 time," said Sanjay Savadatti's parents Prakash and Sashikala.
The mother of the deceased Lingaraj Biranur, Kavita Biranur, said, "Lingaraj, who had completed his first year of PUC, was working as a garden maintenance worker at BVB College, taking care of the family. I had told him that, being young, to wait two more years to wear the Ayyappa swamy mala. But he wanted to wear Ayyappa swamy mala and we also supported him, thinking that it would be good to do God's work. We have no house, no land. Our son who was working now is also gone."
Provide appropriate compensation: Parvathamma, the grandmother of the deceased Lingaraj Biranur, said, "The death of my grandson, who was the support of the family, has left us without a home. Therefore, Lingaraj's mother Kavita should be given a permanent job. No one can bring my grandson back. It is enough if the government provides appropriate compensation to his mother."
"Manjunath Wagmode was the only son of his parents and was studying for a second-year diploma. Manjunath's father was an auto driver. Both his parents lived in another place. Only Manjunath lived in Achhavan Colony and was close to everyone. I am very sad to lose my son-in-law," said Manjunath's father-in-law Sanjay Wagmode.
It is unfortunate that Shankar Chavan, who was a ward boy at Hubballi KMCRI, passed away on the same hospital bed. His parents had died when Shankar Chavan was young. Shankar Chavan was raised under the care of his grandmother Jannabai Jadhav.
Raju Moogera, a resident of Unkal, was also the only son of his parents. Mallamma Moogera, the mother of the deceased Raju Moogera, expressed her grief, saying, "How can I live after losing my only son?"
The wife and family members of Nijalingappa (Ajaswamy), a resident of Ekta Colony, are shedding tears. The story of the family of Tejaswar Satare, a resident of Sainagar, who worked as a cook to support the family, is also similar.
Local resident Ashok Chillanar told 'ETV Bharat', "All the families of the deceased are poor. They are in tears after losing their children, who were the support of their homes. Therefore, the government should announce a compensation of Rs 25 lakhs for each family."
What happened?: On December 22, a gas cylinder exploded in a building in Unakal's Atchhavan Colony around 1:30 am. The blast resulted from a gas leak, possibly ignited by a lamp. The explosion caused severe injuries to nine devotees on the first floor, while four residents on the ground floor escaped unharmed.
Every year, pujas were performed here in the presence of Ayyappa Swamy Maladharis. This year too, as usual, the Ayyappa Swamy Maladharis were completing their rituals, offering pujas to Ayyappa and sleeping. On this occasion, the foot of an Ayyappa Maladhari touched the gas cylinder, resulting in a gas leak. The lamp lit for the deity was burning, which suddenly caught fire. Nine Ayyappa Maladharis were seriously injured. They were admitted to KMCRI Hospital by locals. However, eight out of nine people died after not responding to the treatment.
