Two civic officials, meanwhile, were suspended and the office-bearers of the temple trust booked for culpable homicide.
Twenty-one of those killed were women. There were three children among the dead, including a one-and-a-half-year-old boy whose parents could only watch in horror as he plunged into the well just inches away from them. His body was among the last to be found as the dead were stacked on top of each other in the 50-foot-deep well.
No political pressure to not take any action: Civic body
NDRF head constable Chandan Mishra (39), a deep diver who spent 20 relentless hours on the rescue operation in the Indore temple, said on Friday, “The well was shaped like a bucket-wide at the top but only 10×10 feet at the bottom, because of which people were stuck on top of each other and trapped under the debris.” After a poignant pause, he said: “The hardest part was to retrieve the bodies of the children.”
At the funeral of the youngest victim, 1.5-year-old Hitansh, hundreds wept as his father carried his body in a little bundle. Family members and neighbours followed clutching his toys and tricycle.
“He looked so peaceful as he lay there while we prepared for the final rites. We expected him to get up and play pranks like he used to do every time,” said his uncle.
As the Patel Nagar locality tearfully watched a train of funeral processions on Friday, the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) suspended building officer PR Aroliya and building inspector Prabhat Tiwari of Zone 18. TOI had reported on Friday how IMC had ordered the removal of the slab in January, warning that it was dangerous, but had to backtrack in the face of opposition as it would “hurt religious sentiments”.
IMC commissioner Pratibha Pal on Friday said there was “no political pressure to not take any action”. “Illegal constructions related to religious places is a sensitive issue,” she said. Her order suspending the two IMC officers accused them of negligence. “The officers did not take any action after issuing a notice (to the trust) related to the illegal construction/encroachment,” the order said, adding that they “didn’t follow the seniors’ orders as well”.
Both officers face a departmental inquiry. “We have received some claims related to ownership of the land. All the issues are part of the ongoing investigation,” Pal said.
