Three people, watching a movie inside a Durga Puja pandal, died in village Charangahiya-Belha in Balrampur district on Sunday morning when an uncontrolled car entered the premises and ran over them.
Four devotees were taken to a hospital in Balrampur and later shifted to Bahraich district hospital.
Abhishek Singh, the circle officer of the area, said: "The driver has escaped from the accident site after hitting the people. We intercepted him and took him into custody. We have also seized the car. The devotees were watching a movie in the Durga Puja pandal. The injured persons have said that the driver was drunk and drove the car at high speed. An inquiry will make everything clear." Barlampur is 170km northeast of Lucknow.
The deceased have been identified as Parmeshwari Prasad, 42, Manoj Singh, 51, and Ganesh Pandey, 45. They were on the Puja management committee. “The doctors have said that the condition of the injured persons was serious,” the police officer said.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has asked district officials across the state to review safety measures at Durga Puja pandals, including devotee entry and exit.