18-Year-Old Student Killed After Hair Gets Caught in Generator During Kali Puja Immersion in West Bengal

NADIA, West Bengal — An 18-year-old Class 11 student was killed after her long hair became entangled in a generator engine during a Kali Puja idol immersion procession in West Bengal’s Nadia district, police said Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Diya Sarkar, a resident of Bapuji Nagar in Badkulla, under the Taherpur police station area. She was a student at a local high school.

The incident occurred Friday night when a procession was returning after the Kali Puja idol immersion at Gariapota Ghat. The immersion ceremony had taken place in the Bapuji Nagar Purandarpur area under Badkulla-II Gram Panchayat.

According to local residents, Sarkar was among the many people accompanying the procession. As the group was returning, she reportedly went close to an exposed section of a generator mounted on a moving engine van. Her untied long hair became caught in the machinery, pulling her into the generator and causing critical injuries.

Despite immediate efforts by people at the scene, she could not be saved and reportedly died on the spot.

Police from Taherpur police station reached the location after receiving information about the incident. Sarkar’s body was taken to Shaktinagar District Hospital, where a postmortem examination was being conducted Saturday.

Police have seized the vehicles used in the immersion procession, including the engine van carrying the generator, and taken them to the police station for investigation.

Authorities are examining how the accident occurred and whether negligence or an error contributed to the tragedy. No arrests or detentions had been reported as of Saturday.

The incident comes after another woman, identified as Soma Bin, was seriously injured in a similar accident during a procession in Santipur, also in Nadia district. Her hair reportedly became entangled in the wheels of a generator, and she is undergoing treatment.

The two incidents have raised concerns about safety around exposed machinery used in religious processions. (SourceL IANS)