An 18-year-old student died in Nadia’s Taherpur after her hair became entangled in an exposed generator on a moving engine van during a Kali idol immersion procession, according to local residents and police sources. The incident occurred after the immersion at Gariapota ghat, while participants were returning from the procession.
The deceased was identified as Diya Sarkar, a resident of the Bapujinagar area of Badkulla in Nadia district. She was a Class 11 student at a local high school, the report by Anandabazar – West Bengal said. The procession had been organised for the immersion of an idol from a community Kali Puja in the Bapujinagar-Purandarpur area under Badkulla-II gram panchayat.
The procession took place on Friday night. After the idol was immersed at Gariapota ghat, participants began returning in vehicles. During the journey, Diya reportedly went near the exposed section of a generator fitted to an engine van. Her long hair was loose and became caught in the generator mechanism. The report said the entanglement pulled her towards the machine and caused severe injuries.
Residents present at the scene immediately tried to help, but Diya reportedly died at the spot. Taherpur police reached the location later that night and sent the body to Shaktinagar District Hospital. A post-mortem examination was being conducted at the hospital on Saturday, according to the report.
Police detained all vehicles used for the immersion activities, including the engine van, and took them to the police station for examination. Investigators are looking into how the accident occurred and whether negligence or a mechanical or safety-related defect contributed to the death. No detention or arrest had been reported at the time of publication.
The accident has also drawn attention to the safety risks created when generators and other machinery are mounted on vehicles used in public processions without adequate guarding or separation from passengers. The available report does not establish whether the generator had any protective cover, who was responsible for operating the vehicle, or whether organisers had issued safety instructions to participants.
The incident followed another reported accident in neighbouring Santipur in which a woman, Soma Bin, suffered serious injuries after her loose hair became entangled in a generator wheel during an immersion procession. She was undergoing treatment, according to the report. The Taherpur police investigation and the post-mortem findings are expected to clarify the circumstances of Diya’s death and whether responsibility for the vehicle or procession arrangements can be established.
