6 'Saptarishi' idols collapse at Ujjain's Mahakal Lok corridor due to strong winds; Cong slams govt
PM Modi had inaugurated Mahakal Lok corridor in October last year
Ujjain (PTI): Six out of the seven idols of 'Saptarishis' installed at the Mahakal Lok corridor, developed on the premises of Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, collapsed and suffered damages due to gusty winds on Sunday, but nobody was injured in the incident despite the presence of a large number of visitors, officials said.
The facility was shut for a few hours following the incident that occurred around 4 pm, they said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the first phase of the Mahakal Lok corridor project in October last year.
The incident gave ammunition to the opposition Congress to hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state, as it accused corruption in the project and demanded a probe into the "sub-standard" quality of construction.
"There are a total of 160 idols installed at the Mahakal Lok corridor, out of them six idols of 'Saptarishis' (seven sages) that were around 10 feet tall fell down around 4 pm as strong winds swept through the area," Ujjain Collector Kumar Purshottam said.
After that, the corridor was immediately closed. But when it was reopened at 7 pm, a large number of visitors again thronged the place, he said.
These damaged idols were not located inside the Mahakaleshwar temple, but in the Mahakal Lok corridor developed around it, he said, adding that they will be restored.
Another official said, "The corridor is spread across around one km. When the idols collapsed, the premises were packed with visitors, but nobody was injured in the incident."
Gusty winds, which were responsible for the episode, killed two persons elsewhere in Ujjain, he claimed.
He said that the companies from Gujarat have been engaged in the work of creating the idols and constructing the corridor.
The total cost of the Mahakal Lok project is Rs 856 crore with the first phase costing Rs 351 crore.
State Congress chief Kamal Nath said in a tweet, "I demand from the chief minister that the idols be restored immediately. The sub-standard construction should be probed and the people involved in it should be punished."
His predecessor Arun Yadav told PTI over phone, "The BJP government is not even sparing Gods and today's development at the Mahakal Lok corridor smacks of corruption."
Talking about the local weather conditions, India Meteorological Department's Bhopal centre Duty Officer J P Vishwakarma told PTI that the forecast for Sunday said gusty winds would blow at the speed of 40 to 50 kilometer per hour (KMPH) at isolated places in Ujjain during the day.
Talking over the phone, he also said, "We don't have an Automatic Weather Station in Ujjain to measure the speed of the wind in Ujjain. We are going to demand it."
The corridor, said to be one of the longest in the country, traverses the old Rudrasagar lake which has been revived as part of the redevelopment project around the Mahakaleshwar temple, one of the 12 'jyotirlingas' in the country.
Measuring more than 900 metres in length, the corridor has around 108 aesthetically ornate pillars made of intricately-carved sandstones that depict the Anand Tandav Swaroop (a form of dance of Lord Shiva), 200 statues and murals of Lord Shiva and goddess Shakti.
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
