Jashpur: In a shocking incident a speeding car on Friday rammed a religious procession in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur leading to death of one person and injuring 17 others. The police said two of the injured are undergoing treatment for critical wounds.
The incident has triggered a political storm, with Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel slamming his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath over “quick action” in the Jashpur case in comparison to Lakhimpur Kheri, where eight people were killed on October 3.
What happened in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur?
According to the police, a Durga idol immersion procession was being taken out in Chhattisgarh’s Jashpur when a vehicle crossing over to Madhya Pradesh suddenly dashed into the crowd at Pathalgaon. “One died, two were critically injured, while 15 received minor injuries,” superintendent of police (SP) Vijay Agrawal was quoted as saying by the ANI news agency.
Two cops suspended from duty
Elaborating on police action in the incident, the SP added that two cops – the Pathalgaon Station House Officer (SHO) and the Assistant sub-inspector (ASI) – have been suspended from duty.
Two occupants of the SUV, Bablu Vishwakarma (21) and Shishupal Sahu (26) have been arrested and the police said that they will face charges under sections 302 (murder) and 304 (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Both Vishwakarma and Sahu are residents of Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh. They were passing through Chattisgarh and trying to cross over to the neighbouring state when the incident occurred, said the police.
Meanwhile, the Jashpur incident has triggered comparisons with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in Uttar Pradesh. Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday targeted his UP counterpart Yogi Adityanath and pointed out that while the latter failed to immediately arrest the accused in his state – the son of a Union minister – the persons behind the Jashpur incident were held within one day.
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