Two people including a woman died and a child and another woman were seriously injured when the wall of a government school, being renovated, collapsed upon them adjacent to the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain on Friday night.
Family members and acquaintances of one of the deceased, Ajay Yogi (27), blocked a road and staged a protest on Saturday demanding Rs 50 lakh compensation to his kin.The protesters ,with the body of Yogi ,blocked Mohan Nagar crossing bringing the traffic on Ujjain-Agar Road to a standstill for over than an hour.
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Besides compensation, they also demanded a government job for the deceased’s family member and strict action against the people responsible for the wall collapse during rain. They lifted their sit-in only after Sub Divisional Magistrate L N Garg and top police officials assured them their demands will be forwarded to the state government.The protesters alleged that the wall collapsed due to improper drainage system and sought action against the officials.
Ujjain Collector Neeraj Kumar Singh said that he has asked the SDM to investigate the cause of the wall collapse and other issues.On Saturday, the local administration started removing temporary encroachments from the accident site in the temple town. Vendors selling rudraksh garlands, flowers and other articles have allegedly encroached the area.
According to the police, Ajay Yogi and Farheen Rathore (22) died while Farheen’s daughter Ruhi Rathore (3) and another woman, Sharda Bai (40) were seriously injured in the incident which occurred in front of the Mahakal Temple’s gate number 4 near Bada Ganesh temple in Maharajwada area when a wall of the Government Maharajwada School collapsed.
The accident site is located adjacent to the Mahakaleshwar Temple, and the entire school building is being converted into a heritage hotel under the second phase of expansion and beautification of the Mahakaleshwar Temple premises, also known as Shri Mahakal Mahalok.
According to officials, the injured were sent to a hospital at Indore for treatment and their condition was stable.The victims were wrapping up their makeshift shops on the roadside near the Mahakal Temple when the wall collapsed on them amid rain on Friday night.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief at the tragedy in his hometown and announced a financial help of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each deceased and Rs 50000 to the injured, officials said.
