Kota electrocution: 1 child succumbs to burn injuries, 4 others critical

Kota/Jaipur: A child who was in a critical condition after being electrocuted during a Mahashivratri procession here, succumbed to his burn injuries, officials said on Sunday.

The condition of four other children remained critical, they said. Five children who received critical injuries in the 'Shiv Barat' procession were admitted to Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Hospital after initial treatment in Kota’s MBS Hospital.

One of the 5 critically injured children, identified as Shugan (13), who was admitted in SMS hospital in Jaipur, succumbed to burn injuries around 1 am on Sunday, MBS Hospital superintendent Dharmraj Meena said on Sunday evening.

Superintendent of SMS Hospital, Dr Achal Sharma, said he had 92 per cent burn injuries and was being treated in the new surgical Intensive Care Unit.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has shared his condolences to the bereaved family and directed that Rs 5 lakh be provided to the family of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh each to the seriously injured children from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Rs 50,000 would be given to the injured children being treated in Kota, as per his directions.

Following the first death in the incident, police added relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Juvenile Justice Act against the organisers of the procession to the already existing charges against them.

At MBS Hospital, Meena said, five children were discharged on Sunday while eight others, which includes two adults, remained in treatment in the burn injuries ward.

Around 20 people, 18 children and two others, participating in a 'Shiv Barat' on the occasion of Mahashivratri received burn injuries after being electrocuted on Friday.

Initially sixteen were said to be injured in the incident but two children with minor burn injuries turned up at the MBS Hospital later, according to the superintendent.

They were electrocuted after a boy holding a 22-feet iron flagpole came in contact with a high-tension power line passing overhead in the Sakatpura area.

MBS Hospital superintendent Meena said one of the patients at the hospital suffered a complication and had to be given inotropic support. His condition was concerning while the rest were on the path of recovery, he said.

After the first case of death due to the electrocution in Kota, police have added IPC sections 304 (A) and 336 and Section 75 (cruelty to child) of Juvenile Justice Act in the FIR, SHO at Kunhari police station, Arvind Bhardwaj said.

On Saturday, police had lodged a case under IPC sections 308, 338 and 34 against the three organisers – Badrilal, Babulal and Gopal, he said.

The FIR against the organisers was filed based on a complaint by Mangilal, father of Shugan (13), the SHO said. Further investigation in the matter was underway, Bhardwaj said.

The body of the deceased boy was handed over to family members after post-mortem on Sunday and last rites were performed later in the day, he added.

Meanwhile, state Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khinvsar met injured children admitted in SMS Hospital on Saturday and inquired about their health. The minister directed the hospital management to provide all assistance to the children. He also instructed senior plastic surgeons at the hospital to ensure that there is no deficiency in their treatment.