Click to Expand & Play

Indore:

In the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple of Patel Nagar, Indore in Madhya Pradesh, the death toll has increased to 36 in the incident of collapse of the roof of the ancient stepwell during the Havan organized on the occasion of Ram Navami on Thursday.

NDRF, SDRF, Municipal Corporation and local administration are still present at the spot.

NDTV correspondent Anurag Dwari, who reached the spot in Indore, said that 36 people have died so far and the rescue work is almost complete.

Even today a dead body has been removed from the stepwell. 

Inspector Srinivas Meena of the Eleventh Corps NDRF Varanasi, who was present at the spot, said, "The stepwell of Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple is about 60 feet deep. Rescue work in it was extremely challenging and difficult. It is a very old stepwell. The walls of this stepwell are dilapidated." Some rebars were also protruding in it, which were cut during the rescue operation. The rescue operation went on overnight.  



Srinivas Meena told that during the rescue operation a lot of water and silt had to be removed from the stepwell. Debris falling in the stepwell Also had to be evacuated. We are trained to deal with this type of situation, so we quickly carried out the operation. However, the stepwell will be examined more closely now.     

Please inform that there is a park area near Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple.

The local people allege that it was encroached upon.

After constructing a roof over the stepwell, Havan was being performed on it for some time.

This stepwell is said to be about 200 years old.

The residents also claim that the temple was built by putting a roof over the ancient stepwell.

On the day of Ramnavami, many people were present on this roof, whose weight could not be tolerated by the roof and it caved in.

36 people lost their lives in this accident.

This entire rescue operation lasted for about 24 hours. 

An FIR has been lodged against the president of Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple regarding this incident.

Section 304 (case of culpable homicide) has been imposed on them.

However, he says that the temple has not occupied any land.

The temple is about 100 years old and the land around it belongs to them only.