Highmast pole falls on car, SP leader crushed to death

Lucknow: A 1,000-kg high mast lighting pole fell on a moving car in the Antu area of Pratapgarh, killing Samajwadi Party leader Lal Bahadur Yadav on the spot.

The incident occurred around 1 pm near Babuganj market, in front of a petrol pump, where workers were installing a high mast pole. According to eyewitnesses, the heavy pole suddenly lost balance during installation and crashed on a passing car.

Bystanders said the accident happened so suddenly that Yadav did not even get a chance to react.

The deceased, Lal Bahadur Yadav (47), contested the 2022 Nagar Panchayat elections from Antu and was associated with the Samajwadi Party. He was a Public Works Department (PWD) contractor and also held a country liquor licence. At the time of the incident, he was driving his Hyundai Creta towards the city.

Police rushed to the spot after receiving information and sent the body for post-mortem examination. The incident triggered panic in the area, with locals expressing anger over alleged negligence and raising serious concerns about safety standards during installation work. Pratapgrah SP Deepak Bhuker said that an FIR is being registered and action will be taken.

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