Poclain operator fatally attacks photographer

Kotdwar: A photographer, who was returning from a wedding, died after a Poclain operator bashed his head with the machine’s arm at Satpuli in Uttarakhand’s Pauri district, police said on Sunday.

According to the police, Suman Devrani (31) had a quarrel with the machine operator, Praveen Singh, after he pointed out that the late-night work was causing inconvenience to the commuters.

Devrani, a resident of Pauri district, was returning to Satpuli in a car with her friend Rajneesh Juyal and another youth after taking photographs at a wedding ceremony.

Seeing the traffic jam on the road due to the work, Devrani got out of the car and asked the machine operator not to work at night. A minor altercation took place between them over this matter and the operator attacked Devrani with the heavy arm of the machine, causing critical head injuries and his death on the spot, they said.

The police said that the incident was reported by Juyal. However, Juyal and the other youth mysteriously disappeared from the spot. As soon as the information was received, the police reached the spot. They took the body into custody and shifted it to Kotdwar Base Hospital. Devrani’s family has demanded the arrest of the accused Poclain operator, who fled from the spot after the killing and bring forward the youths who were present with Devrani at the time of the incident.

In support of Devrani’s family, local Congress workers blocked National Highway 534 and the dharna continued for an hour. According to the police, road widening work is going on between Gumkhal and Satpuli on National Highway 534 these days, which was underway on Saturday night as well.

The photographer’s mother Rekha Devi raised questions as to why Juyal took him to Satpuli with him when he wanted to return to his home and who switched off her son’s mobile after the incident.