Prayagraj MP and former Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi died of severe burns suffered during Diwali celebrations on Monday night. The six-year-old girl suffered burns at her maternal grandparents’ home Monday afternoon while playing with other children from the rooftop home.
She was rushed to a private hospital with about 60 percent burns. The girl was supposed to be airlifted to Delhi by air ambulance on Tuesday morning, but succumbed to her injuries around 2 am, reported Abhishek Shukla, Joshi’s media coordinator.
Joshi had reportedly gone to her ancestral home on Civil Lines with her husband PC Joshi to celebrate Diwali. Her daughter-in-law Richa and her granddaughter were also visiting her parents’ home located on Ponappa Street when the incident occurred.
“The girl was playing with the Diwali clay lamps on the ceiling with other children in the afternoon when her clothes somehow caught fire. By then, the elders could hurry up and put out the flames; he had suffered 60 percent burns. They immediately took her to a private hospital where she began her treatment. But she couldn’t save herself, ”Shukla said.
The MP had spoken with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and UP’s CM Yogi Adityanath to have the girl transferred to Delhi for treatment but died before this could be implemented.
The boy was the only child of Rita Joshi, Mayank’s only daughter. Mayank is expected to arrive in Prayagraj on Tuesday afternoon from Delhi, where he rushed to make arrangements for treatment. After their arrival, the last rites will be performed at Daraganj Ghat, Shukla said.
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