After the death of two devotees due to electrocution at Awsaneshwar Mahadev temple in the Haidergarh area of Barabanki district, the temple management has implemented enhanced safety measures to prevent a repeat of such incidents.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday (July 28) during Jalabhishek, when a live wire snapped reportedly due to monkeys jumping on it, causing a short-circuit and triggering panic among devotees. The broken wire came in contact with the temple’s tin shed, resulting in the incident which also left 29 devotees injured.
The temple management committee, led by manager Atul Vinod Giri and priest Atul Goswami, has taken steps to ensure devotees’ safety. The tin shed has been stripped of its electrical wiring.
The committee members further said that electricity supply to the tin shed outside the temple has been discontinued. In addition, a 500-metre stretch of the temple path is being equipped with safety nets below the 11,000-volt electrical lines. These nets will catch any broken wires, preventing them from falling on the ground and causing harm, they added. Besides, fans installed in the temple corridor’s tin shed have been removed to minimise potential electrical hazards.
The committee members said that the local police and electricity safety department are conducting investigations and implementing safety measures. A four-member team from the Directorate of Electrical Safety visited the temple to investigate the incident, they added.
{{/usCountry}}The committee members said that the local police and electricity safety department are conducting investigations and implementing safety measures. A four-member team from the Directorate of Electrical Safety visited the temple to investigate the incident, they added.
{{/usCountry}}The team has taken the digital video recorder (DVR) and hard disk of the temple’s CCTV system for further analysis. The committee confirmed that nine CCTV cameras are installed within the temple premises and are fully functional.
The local police and officials from the electricity safety department are also part of the investigation.