As the community in Old Ramanthapur struggles to come to terms with Sunday night’s fatal electrocution during the Krishna Janmashtami procession, the families of the deceased are left broken, their grief amplified by the suddenness of the loss. Hours after the incident, families queued up outside the morgue at Gandhi Hospital to claim the bodies to perform their final rites.
Krishna Yadav, known fondly as ‘Diamond’ in his neighbourhood, was only 21. He was the only son in an extended family otherwise made up of daughters and girl cousins. His right arm was covered with rakhis till the elbow until a few days ago with all his sisters celebrating the festival. “My son has not even turned into a proper adult, his life has been snatched away in an instant,” his mother said, weeping inconsolably. “He was our pillar, our only hope. Now that support is gone.” A family elder said, “For my father and grandfather, he was not just a grandson, he was like a son. We cannot accept that he is gone.”
The tragedy also leaves Suresh Yadav’s young family shattered. Only 34, Suresh had recently become a father earlier this year. His wife, a homemaker, now faces the prospect of raising their six-month-old baby girl without her husband, who was the sole breadwinner. “The family is inconsolable, and his widow is pleading with the government to help her find a way to provide for their little daughter,” said a neighbour.
