Stuck in Traffic Amid President Kovind’s Visit, Kanpur Woman Dies; 4 Cops Suspended

In a rather unfortunate turn of events, Vandana Mishra, chairperson for the women’s wing of the local Indian Industries Association, died due to coronavirus complications while being stuck in traffic on Friday. The 50-year-old woman was held up in traffic due to the diversions that were made by the Kanpur police for President Ram Nath Kovind’s convoy.

The Police Commisionerate of Kanpur Nagar took to Twitter to express sorrow. The police department said that this incident is a big lesson for them and assured people that in future they will make the route in a way that causes the least trouble to common people. The main idea behind doing this would be to ensure that such incidents do not take place in future.

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In another tweet, the Police Commissionerate informed that President Kovind has expressed distress over Vandana Mishra’s demise. He also called the District Magistrate and Kanpur police commissioner to know about the details of the incident. He expressed grief and also asked the officials to ensure that his message reaches the bereaved family.

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The police have also mentioned that they will be taking steps to ensure that they are able to manage things in a better way. Further, sub-inspector Sushil Kumar and three head constables were suspended for stopping the traffic for an extended period of time. An additional deputy commissioner of police has been asked to probe the matter and submit the findings to the commissioner, officials said.

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Sharad Mishra, the husband of the deceased, said they got stuck in traffic at Govindpuri bridge while Vandana was being taken to the hospital.

He claimed that he made repeated requests to the police to allow them to pass but they turned a deaf ear to the appeals.

“We were allowed to go only after the traffic was opened. The doctors declared her dead upon arrival. The doctors claimed that her life could have been saved had she was been brought to the hospital in time,” Mishra said.

President Kovind is on a three-day visit to Kanpur. He was received by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel at the Kanpur Central Railway Station on Friday.

The President is scheduled to visit his ancestral village Paraunkh on Sunday.

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