Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Two found dead after idol immersion ceremony

By Our Special Correspondent

GULBARGA, SEPT. 28. The ten-day long Ganesha festival ended on a tragic note with the mysterious death of two young revellers in the city in the early hours of Tuesday.

The Superintendent of Police, K. Ramachandra Rao, said here today that the victims had been identified as Ambaresh (14) and Jagadish (16), residents of Gulbarga city. He said that Jagadish was found dead behind the platform where the Ganesha idol was placed on a tractor-trailer. Amaresh was found unconscious and admitted to the Government Hospital in the morning. However, he failed to respond to treatment and died at the hospital.

Cause of death

The victims were found lying near the diesel-electric generator installed on the tractor-trailer. Mr. Rao said the probable reason for the death was inhalation of toxic fumes from the generator or excessive consumption of bhang, an intoxicating mixture. However, the actual cause of death would only be known after the post-mortem was conducted.

Heavy rainfall

The usual practice is that the Ganesha idols installed in different parts of the city are brought in a common procession and immersed in the Sharanabasaveshwar Tank in the heart of the city. In all, 37 Ganesha idols were immersed in the tank. The immersion ceremony was affected due to heavy downpour last night and the victims may have chosen to sleep near the generator, Mr. Rao said.

Four arrested

The police had made elaborate security arrangements for the immersion ceremony in the city.

They also conducted surprise raids in different localities and arrested four persons for selling liquor in violation of the prohibitory orders in the city.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

Two found dead after idol immersion ceremony

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu