Five killed in separate incidents on Raksha Bandhan in Kashi, Sonbhadra

Varanasi: A couple and their 5-year-old child were killed in an accident on ring road in Varanasi on Monday when they were going to visit their relatives for Raksha Bandhan celebrations. In another incident, two minor brothers, who had gone to the place of relatives for Raksha bandhan celebrations, drowned in a dam in Sonbhadra.
Rajat Patel (35) of Parsupur Kachnar was going to his in-laws’ place with his wife Neelam (31) and daughter Pari (5) for Raksha Bandhan celebrations when a water tanker moving in the wrong lane dashed his motorcycle near Ganjari under Jansa police station area in Varanasi.All three died on the spot. Local natives caught the tanker driver and thrashed him before handing him over to the police. Later, angered over the incident, hundreds of villagers blocked the ring road. On being informed, SDM Amit Kumar, DCP Gomati zone Manish Shandilya, ADCP Akash Patel, and ACP Ajay Kumar Srivastava, along with police force from Rajatalab, Mirzamurad, Jansa, and Kapshethi stations, reached the spot and tried to convince the protesters to call off their stir.
The protesters demanded to meet the district magistrate to fulfil their demands, including a sufficient amount of compensation to Rajat’s family.
The stir continued for over six hours. Later, officials assured to provide immediate financial assistance for the dependents of the deceased and monthly financial assistance to Rajat’s other two daughters. The villagers called off their stir after being assured by the officials. The police sent the bodies for postmortem. Rajat worked as a painter to look after his parents, his wife and three children.
In another incident, Premlal (7) and his brother Prahlad (6) got drowned in a dam near Supachua village under Myorpur police station in Sonbhadra district. Both had gone to the place of their maternal grandparents with their mother Sangeeta for Raksha Bandhan. Their uncle informed the police that despite repeated instructions from their grandfather, the duo reached near the dam and started bathing when they slipped into deep water. On seeing them drowning, a woman raised alarm. But, before locals could rescue them, they both had died. SI itendra Kumar said that the bodies of both the boys were sent for postmortem examination.