AGARTALA, July 1 (PTI): The Left Front on Saturday demanded a judicial inquiry into the deaths due to electrocution in Tripura’s Unakoti district during the return Rath Yatra festival earlier this week.
Seven people, including two children, died of electrocution and 16 others were injured as the chariot of Lord Jagannath came in contact with a high-tension wire during the return car festival on Wednesday afternoon in Kumarghat area.
A three-member Left Front delegation led by former chief minister Manik Sarkar visited the family members of those who lost their lives in the incident and also injured persons who are undergoing treatment in hospitals.
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“We don’t undermine the district magistrate who is supposed to conduct an inquiry into the tragic incident. We demand a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of the high court considering the gravity of the incident,” Sarkar said at a press conference here.
Besides, he demanded a government job for the next of kin of each deceased in the incident and financial assistance for the injured persons.
Iskcon will also carry out an internal probe into the incident and lay down guidelines for such celebrations in future, an official of the organisation said.
“I have already visited the spot and met the affected families. We will conduct an internal inquiry into the incident and take necessary steps if anybody is found at fault. We will soon prepare guidelines for conducting Rath Yatra because such an incident can happen anywhere,” Tripura Iskcon co-president Sridham Govinda Das said.
The Tripura Police have also started a probe into the deaths due to electrocution during the car festival.
Kumarghat Police Station officer-in-charge Sankar Das claimed that “organisers did not follow the permitted route” for the procession during the return Rath Yatra festival.
Sarkar also exhorted the state government to formulate a comprehensive guideline for undertaking processions or rallies to prevent the recurrence of such an incident in future.
Tripura Pradesh Congress president Asish Kumar Saha accompanied by former MLA DC Hrangkhawl also met the bereaved families and demanded a proper investigation into the incident.
