India, Aug. 5 -- Ghaziabad witnessed two separate tragedies involving Kanwariyas on Monday night, with a 20-year-old devotee killed in a road accident on NH-9 in Indirapuram and another pilgrim dying after a snakebite at a Kanwar camp in Muradnagar. Two others were injured in the incidents, one of whom remains in critical condition. The road accident occurred on the NH-9 stretch running parallel to the Delhi-Meerut Expressway in the Indirapuram area. Police identified the deceased as Deepanshu, 20, a resident of Chhalera village in Noida. He was travelling to Haridwar with three friends to collect Ganga water and was expected to return on August 5. Also Read - Factory wall collapse kills two firefighters According to police officials, the accident took place late Monday night when Deepanshu's motorcycle was overtaking a truck. During the manoeuvre, the motorcycle was allegedly hit by a speeding unidentified truck. The impact was severe, killing Deepanshu on the spot, while his pillion rider sustained minor injuries. The accident triggered protests by the victim's family members and fellow Kanwariyas, who blocked NH-9, causing a long traffic jam stretching towards the Delhi border. Senior police officers, including ACP Indirapuram Suryabali Maurya, reached the spot and persuaded the protesters to disperse, following which traffic movement resumed. Also Read - NOTTO app to track recipients, streamline organ allocation Police sent the body for postmortem and launched a search for the unidentified truck driver. CCTV footage from nearby areas is being examined to establish the identity of the vehicle and its driver. In a separate incident, two Kanwariyas were bitten by a snake while sleeping at the Didauli Kanwar camp in Muradnagar around 11 pm on Monday. They were returning to Rajasthan after collecting Ganga water from Haridwar and had stopped at the camp for the night. The victims were identified as Sandeep, 45, a resident of Bahajod village in Alwar district, and Lal Chand, 65. Their companion, Jai Singh, said fellow devotees rushed the two men to MMG Hospital in the early hours of Tuesday after the snakebite. Doctors at MMG Hospital said both pilgrims were brought in critical condition and were referred to a higher medical centre after receiving initial treatment. However, Sandeep died before reaching the referral hospital. Lal Chand was shifted to a hospital in Delhi, where he continues to receive treatment. Sandeep's family later took his body home without a postmortem.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.