BJP leader dies while lifting Durga idol frame in Bengal’s Hooghly
Hooghly: A 61-year-old BJP leader died while attempting to retrieve a Durga idol's wooden framework from the muddy riverbed at Bhadreswar in West Bengal's Hooghly district on Wednesday night.
In a separate incident at Bandel, a 38-year-old man sustained serious injuries after a pickup vehicle allegedly hit him during idol immersion.
Gaurishankar Sahani, a BJP Shakti Kendra Pramukh, was trying to lift an idol framework at Srimani Ghat in Bhadreswar, about 100 meters from the immersion site, when he got stuck in the mud and fell ill, according to local sources.
The Ganga was at low tide, and the framework had become lodged in the riverbed.
Local residents rescued Sahani and took him to Chandannagar Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. His body was sent to Chinsurah Imambara Hospital on Thursday for a post-mortem examination.
Sahani lived near the ghat in Ward No. 16 of Bhadreswar and earned a living by collecting and selling idol frameworks, local resident and BJP leader Madanprasad Sau said. He added that Sahani had been unwell before the incident.
BJP district vice-president Gopal Upadhyay described Sahani as a longtime party worker and expressed condolences to his family, assuring them of the party's support.
An officer of the Chandannagar Police Commissionerate said the incident occurred around 100 metres from the immersion site and was not directly connected to the immersion proceedings.
Man injured in Bandel
In a separate incident at Chunimian Ghat in Bandel, Shambhu De, 38, a member of the Bandel Balagarh Yuva Sangha, was seriously injured after a pickup vehicle allegedly struck him during immersion proceedings late on Wednesday night.
According to local sources, vehicles were queued at the ghat when a pickup belonging to another puja committee allegedly tried to bypass the line. The vehicle hit De, who was standing by the roadside, trapping him underneath.
De remained trapped for nearly half an hour before local residents, police and fire service personnel rescued him.
He was initially taken to Chinsurah Imambara District Hospital with injuries to his head, face and back. After receiving treatment, including stitches, he was shifted to AIIMS Kalyani.
Chandannagar Police Commissioner Sunil Yadav and other senior police officials visited the accident site and the hospital.
Police have detained the pickup vehicle and its helper, who was reportedly driving at the time. Suman Chattopadhyay, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Detective Department) of the Chandannagar Police Commissionerate, said the vehicle attempted to overtake the queue from the right before falling into a roadside drain. Police will examine the vehicle's fitness, he added.