Sagar, April 1 (IANS) Nearly 19 months after a wall collapse during a religious event claimed the lives of nine children in Shahpur town of Sagar district, a local court has delivered its verdict, holding three persons guilty of criminal negligence.

The court of 9th Additional Sessions Judge Rajesh Singh convicted Mulu Patel (owner of the dilapidated house), Sanju alias Keshav Patel, and Shiv Patel (organisers of the Shrimad Bhagwat Katha) and sentenced each to five years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine. The judgment has brought a sense of partial closure to the grieving families while also sending a strong message about accountability and public safety.

The tragedy occurred on August 4, 2024, the third day of a 10-day Shrimad Bhagwat Katha organised from August 2 to 12 near the Hardaul Baba temple in Shahpur. Children were participating in a Parthiv Shivling Nirman (making clay Shivlings) programme under a tent when the wall of a nearby two-storey dilapidated house owned by Mulu Patel suddenly collapsed.

Eleven children, mostly aged between 10 and 15 years, were trapped under the debris. Despite rescue efforts by villagers, nine children — Divyansh, Nitesh, Ashutosh, Prince, Parv, Devraj, Vansh (Mayank), Hemant, and Dhruv — succumbed to their injuries.

Two others, Sumit Prajapati and Khushi Patwa, survived after prolonged medical treatment.

The incident, which occurred amid heavy rain, exposed serious lapses — including failure to identify and remove the unsafe structure and inadequate safety arrangements at the crowded religious event.

Additional Public Prosecutor Devesh Bachkainya represented the prosecution. Police had promptly registered a case and arrested the three accused soon after the tragedy.

In the aftermath, the Madhya Pradesh government took administrative action. Then Sagar Collector Deepak Arya and Superintendent of Police Abhishek Tiwari were removed from their posts, underlining accountability for overlooking safety hazards in public events.

The verdict has been welcomed by the victims’ families as a step towards justice, though many continue to demand stricter enforcement of building safety norms, especially near religious and community gatherings.

Activists have also called for stronger guidelines to prevent such avoidable tragedies in the future.

–IANS

sktr/pgh