Amritsar, May 24 (Kamal Shamsher Singh) – A tragic accident took place on Sunday at Gurdwara Shaheedganj Baba Deep Singh Ji in Amritsar when the roof slab of an under-construction langar hall suddenly collapsed. Two women devotees engaged in voluntary seva lost their lives on the spot, while several others were injured in the incident. The injured were immediately rushed to Sri Guru Ramdas Charitable Hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment.
According to reports, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee was overseeing the construction of a multi-level parking facility and a large langar hall within the Gurdwara Shaheedan Sahib complex. The construction work had been entrusted to Baba Kashmir Singh Bhuriwale for kar seva.
On Sunday, seva activities were underway inside the under-construction langar hall, where many women devotees were voluntarily participating. During the work, the iron shuttering plates supporting the roof slab suddenly broke and collapsed. The incident was so severe that several women were trapped beneath the debris and heavy iron plates.
Chaos erupted in the Gurdwara premises immediately after the accident, and devotees present at the site began rescue operations. A witness stated that every Sunday, a large number of devotees gather there for the recitation of ‘Japji Sahib’ and seva. Suddenly, a loud explosion-like sound was heard, and when people rushed toward the site, they found around 8 to 9 women trapped beneath the iron plates.
With the help of devotees and sevadars, all the injured women were rescued and taken to different hospitals. However, two women had already succumbed to their injuries by then.
As soon as the information was received, the police administration reached the spot. Amritsar SP Amandeep Kaur visited the hospital, interacted with doctors, and reviewed the condition of the injured. She stated that all the victims are receiving treatment and that a special medical team has been deployed at the hospital.
Expressing deep grief over the incident, Harjinder Singh Dhami visited the accident site and later met the injured at the hospital. He announced financial assistance of ₹2 lakh each for the families of the deceased women.
Additionally, it was announced that the treatment expenses of all injured women would be fully borne by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
The tragic incident has cast a wave of sorrow across the area. Devotees and local residents present at the Gurdwara expressed deep sadness over the accident, while the administration has initiated an investigation into the cause of the collapse.
KL JIT WALIA
