Vrindavan, October 7 (Daily Kiran) : A tragic accident occurred at a Sanskrit Gurukul in Vrindavan, resulting in the deaths of four students, including Pandit Vishu Sharma, a priest from the Jayanthi Mata Shakti Peeth in Hastinapur, Meerut. The incident took place on October 7, 2026, while the students were cleaning a septic tank. Authorities have sent the bodies for post-mortem examination and have launched an investigation into the matter.
Sudesh Kumar, president of Jayanthi Mata Shakti Peeth, shared that Vishu Sharma had enrolled in the Gurukul on August 18, 2026, for Sanskrit studies. The total fee was set at ₹51,000, of which ₹24,000 had already been paid online. Kumar mentioned that the family maintained regular contact, and due to the upcoming Navratri festival, they had planned for Vishu to return home on the same day.
Kumar alleged that on the night of the incident, the Gurukul management forced the students to clean the septic tank, which is enclosed on all sides, making entry difficult. Despite their objections, they were made to enter the tank, leading to fatal exposure to toxic gases. All four students, hailing from impoverished Brahmin families, succumbed to asphyxiation.
The families expressed outrage, claiming they were not informed of the incident by the Gurukul. News of the tragedy spread throughout Uttar Pradesh, but the relatives remained unaware until police officers arrived at the ashram around 1:35 AM, prompting them to reach out to the Gurukul’s authorities without success.
By 2:30 AM, family members from Meerut were on their way to Vrindavan. Sudesh Kumar has filed a complaint demanding a thorough investigation and legal action against those responsible, as well as urging the Yogi government to provide assistance to the affected families.
The family of 17-year-old Devansh, one of the deceased, traveled from Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, to the mortuary. His older brother, Raghavendra Dubey, learned of the tragedy through a friend at midnight and immediately set out for Vrindavan. Devansh had enrolled in the Gurukul in July to study Sanskrit, astrology, and the Vedas.
Raghavendra shared, “We are five siblings, and Devansh was the youngest. Our family had high hopes for him. Our father is a farmer.” Another relative, Sonu Sharma, recounted that Devansh and the other students were cleaning the tank when they were overcome by toxic fumes, leading to their untimely deaths. Among the deceased were also Manu Katara and Aryan Pandey from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
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