Kota electrocution: Another child succumbs, death toll now two

A seven-year-old boy who was among the 20 persons electrocuted during a 'Shiv Barat' procession in Kota on 8 March has succumbed to burn injuries, police said on Wednesday. The boy, Saman, breathed his last on Tuesday night at MBS hospital in Kota, taking the toll in the incident to two, they said.

Saman's grandfather, who is lodged in jail in connection with the incident, was brought out for a few hours on parole for the last rites on Wednesday, they added.

Eighteen children and two other participants of the 'Shiv Barat' procession on the occasion of Mahashivratri suffered burn injuries after electrocution from a high-tension power line passing overhead in the Sakatpura area under the Kunhari police station limits, they said.

Superintendent of MBS hospital Dr Dharmraj Meena said Saman had sustained around 50 per cent burn injuries in the electrocution incident. At around 10.30 pm on Tuesday, the boy suffered respiratory complications and was administered CPR but could not be saved, Meena said.

The body was handed over to family members after postmortem on Wednesday morning, Kunhari police station SHO Arvind Bhardwaj said.

Badrilal, who is one of the three organisers booked in connection with the incident and lodged in jail, is the grandfather of Saman. He was brought out from prison for the boys' last rites, Bhardwaj said, adding that the three accused are currently in jail under judicial custody.

The first death in the incident was reported on Sunday when 13-year-old Shugan died at Jaipur's SMS Hospital at around 1.00 am. Two children who are still in critical condition were referred to SMS hospital in Jaipur late on Tuesday night, while four patients are being treated at the MBS hospital in Kota, said Dr Rajesh Vaswani, head of department, general surgery at MBS Hospital.

Initially, 18 people were said to be injured in the incident, but two children with minor burn injuries turned up at the MBS Hospital later, taking the toll to 20, according to police officials and doctors at the hospital. The 20 were electrocuted after a boy holding a 22-foot iron flagpole came in contact with a high-tension power line passing overhead in the Sakatpura area.