Several B Ed aspirants fall into sewage drain outside Kanpur shop after slab collapses

Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh: About two dozen candidates appearing for the Uttar Pradesh B Ed Joint Entrance Examination fell into a sewage drain after a dilapidated concrete slab collapsed outside an examination centre in Kanpur on Sunday morning, police said.

The incident occurred near H N Mishra PG College in MacRobertganj, where candidates had gathered at a nearby photocopy shop to obtain copies of documents required before entering the examination centre.

According to police and eyewitnesses, the old concrete slab covering a drain caved in under the crowd's weight, causing around 20 to 25 candidates to fall into the sewage-filled drain.

Four candidates sustained minor injuries, while several others had their clothes, books, admit cards and other documents damaged.

Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said the candidates had gone to a shop in the Nagar Nigam market area to get photocopies of necessary documents.

"The old drain slab collapsed due to overcrowding. A few people suffered minor injuries, but there was no loss of life," Lal told PTI.

He said the injured were assisted and the candidates later proceeded to their respective examination centres. One injured guardian was taken to a hospital, police said.

Residents and fellow aspirants rushed to the spot and helped pull the candidates out of the drain. Eyewitnesses said the incident triggered protests from candidates and parents, who alleged negligence by civic authorities and raised concerns over the condition of public infrastructure near a major examination venue.

Shalu Shukla, whose daughter was among those affected, said she received a distressed phone call after the incident. "She was crying and said she had fallen into the drain. Her clothes were ruined, and she was terrified. This happened because of negligence," Shukla alleged.

Khushi, a candidate from Hanspuram in Naubasta, claimed that candidates were informed at the last moment that photocopies of their Aadhaar cards were required, which resulted in a rush at nearby shops.

"There was a huge crowd, and the slab suddenly gave way. Around 20 to 25 people fell into the drain," she said. Amit, who had accompanied his sister to the examination centre, said he suffered injuries when the slab collapsed.

"My knee was scraped, and my hand was injured," he said.

Police said despite the disruption, the BEd entrance examination was conducted as scheduled across 19 centres in the city under tight security arrangements.