CITY MOURNS THE DEAD, TOLL 36
Illegal construction over bawdi ruined many families. The dead included 21 women and two children. Many families lost their bread-earners and home-makers, while others lost their future generation. As CM visited the injured and the accident site, administration swung into action to hide its previous inaction by booking temple trust president and secretary and suspended building officer PR Aloriya and building inspector Prabhat Tiwari
Toll in collapse of Shri Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple’s bawdi (stepwell) roof rose to 36, including 21 women and two children, as rescue operation ended on Friday afternoon.
An FIR for culpable homicide was registered against temple trust president and secretary, while regional building officer and building inspector were suspended for inaction against illegal construction at the shrine.
Several devotees fell into the 60-feet deep bawdi when the slab constructed on its top collapsed during a 'havan' held on Ram Navmi at the temple in Patel Nagar on Thursday.
A total of 36 people, mostly women, were killed and 17 others were injured. Till Thursday night, 29 bodies were fished out of the ill-fated bawdi with the help of Army and NDRF teams. The toll reached 35 in the wee hours of Friday. The last body was recovered at around 11:50 am taking the toll further to 36.
Earlier in the morning, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with home minister Narottam Mishra in tow visited the temple where the tragedy struck on Thursday.
"A magisterial inquiry into the accident has been ordered and a case registered by the police. On the basis of the investigation report, action will be taken against the guilty," the CM told reporters.
When CM reached the mishap site, rescue operation was still underway as teams were busy tracing a person still missing.
Before visiting the accident site, the CM visited Apple Hospital and talked to injured persons.
The rescue operation which began around 1 pm on Thursday continued even after the last body was fished out of the water reservoir at 11:50 am on Friday.
"Body of a person missing since the incident was recovered from the 'bawdi'. With this, bodies of 36 people have been recovered from the bawdi," said divisional commissioner Pawan Kumar Sharma.
He stated that 16 people injured in the accident were undergoing treatment at a hospital, while two others were sent home after first-aid.
Sharma claimed that bodies of all missing people have been recovered. "We continued search operation for a couple of more hours to remove the entire silt from the stepwell," he added.
Juni Indore police station incharge Neeraj Mede said, “Shri Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple Trust president Sevaram Galani and secretary Murli Kumar Sabnani were booked under sections 304 and 34 of the IPC.”
Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav declared that building officer PR Aloriya and building inspector Prabhat Tiwari were suspended and departmental probe ordered for their failure to take concrete action against illegal construction. “The duo merely issued notices and sat on complaints related to encroachment in temple premises,” Bharagav said.
Find out more covered wells, step-wells: CM
Chouhan said that administration had been directed to trace step-wells and wells that had been covered for illegal construction. Borewells in the state too would be examined to check whether they have been covered or not, he said.
"We want to ensure that the tragedy that struck Indore temple is not repeated in future. If any well, stepwell or borewell is found in a dangerous condition on private or government land, then action will be taken against the land owner or officer concerned," the CM said.
