By IANS,
Ludhiana : A kanjak ceremony, part of the eighth-day prayers on the occasion of Ram Navami, ended in tragedy in this industrial city of Punjab when a wall collapse left two children dead and 11 others injured.
The children, between five and 15 years, were standing near a house in Shivpuri locality here Sunday when the parapet wall on the third floor suddenly collapsed on them.
While one child was declared dead after being rushed to the Christian Medical College and hospital here, the second one, who was seriously injured, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital later.
Inconsolable parents rushed to the spot and the hospital on hearing about the wall collapse.
The children had gathered in front of the house as the family living there used to annually give money and food to children of the area as part of the Hindu tradition of observing kanjak on the auspicious occasion of ‘Ashtami’.
“My grandson went there because the family holding the function was giving Rs.5, gifts and food to children. Children in the area were very fond of this and used to go to this house every year,” the grandmother of one of the victims said.