Dehradun (Uttarakhand): As many as 16 people, including a police sub-inspector and three home guards, died of electrocution and 11 others were injured at the site of Namami Gange project on the banks of Alaknanda River in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Wednesday, government officials said. The injured have been admitted to the district hospital. Uttarakhand's Director General of Police (DGP) Ashok Kumar said an outpost in-charge of Pipalkoti was among those who died in the incident.
ADG law and order V Murugesan also confirmed the death of 16 people due to electrocution and told that a police sub-inspector and 3 home guards were among the victims. CM Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the dependents of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to the injured.
Superintendent of Police (Chamoli) Pramendra Dobhal said the police went to the spot to prepare a report on the electrocution late on Tuesday of a person working on the project site. Around 11.30 am, a surge of electricity passed through a metal railing installed on the plant premises, killing 16 and injuring eleven. "It is still being ascertained how it happened," he added.
Dobhal said police sub-inspector Pradeep Rawat and three home guard personnel were among the 15 people killed. Several of the victims died on the spot. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who has left for the site to take stock of the situation and meet the victims' families, expressed grief. He has announced a magisterial inquiry and a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each victim and Rs 1 lakh each to the injured.
Ordering the inquiry, Dhami said strict action will be taken against those found guilty. Following the chief minister's instructions, District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana nominated Additional District Magistrate Dr Abhishek Tripathi as the inquiry officer and directed him to file a detailed investigation report within a week.
Khurana has also asked Tripathi to include in his investigation the causes and the measures that can be taken to prevent such accidents in the future. Chamoli's Chief Development Officer Dr Lalit Narayan Mishra said the injured were sent to AIIMS-Rishikesh by helicopter. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also enquired about the incident from Dhami over phone. Director-General of Police Ashok Kumar prayed for peace for the dead and strength to the bereaved families.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the incident. Describing the incident as extremely painful, PM Modi expressed deep sorrow and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families. The PM also wished speedy recovery of all the injured.
The deceased have been identified as Sub Inspector Pradeep Rawat, Home Guards Mukund Ram, Gopal, Lal, and civilians Sumit, Surendra, Devi Lal, Yogendra Singh, Surendra Singh Rawat, Vipin, Manoj Kumar, Sukhdev, Pramod Kumar, Deepu Kumar, Mahendra Lal, and Ganesh.
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