Festivities turn into grief at Ramanthapur

A special drive has been ordered across Greater Hyderabad to review and rectify risks posed by hanging cables and electric wires - D Sridhar Babu, IT & Industries minister

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Hyderabad

FIVE persons were killed and four others sustained serious injuries after coming into contact with a live wire during a Sri Krishna Janmashtami procession in Ramanthapur, Uppal, on Sunday night.

The incident took place at Gokul Nagar around midnight when the chariot being pulled as part of the Sri Krishna Shoba Yatra by members of the local Yadav community broke down. With the Ramanthapur Yadav Sangam community hall—the endpoint of the procession—less than 100 metres away, devotees began pushing the stalled chariot forward. In the process, it brushed against a dangling cable that was touching overhead power lines, resulting in electrocution.

The deceased were identified as Krishna Yadav (21), Srikanth Reddy (35), Suresh Yadav (34), Rudra Vikas (39) and Rajendra Reddy (45). The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, with some later shifted to other facilities for specialised care. Police moved the bodies to Gandhi Hospital for post-mortem and have launched an investigation.

Power department blamed Tension prevailed in Ramanthapur on Monday as locals staged a protest, blaming the electricity department for negligence. Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) CMD Musharraf Ali Faruqui, along with other officials, visited the spot but faced protests from residents.