7-year-old girl killed after portion of light post fell on her in Kolkata

A seven-year-old girl, Gudiya Khatun, died after a portion of a roadside light post fell on her in Kolkata's Hastings area, sparking an investigation into the incident.

A seven-year-old girl died after a portion of a roadside light post fell on her in Kolkata's Hastings area on Monday morning, police said.

The victim has been identified as Gudiya Khatun, who lived with her family under the Hastings flyover, they said.

The incident took place around 7 am when the upper portion of the light post fell on the child standing below it, a senior police officer said, adding that she suffered severe head injuries and died on the spot.

The body was sent for post-mortem, and an inquiry had been initiated into the incident, he added.

''Prima facie, it appears that a part of the structure detached from the pole and fell. We are examining whether there was any lapse in maintenance,'' the policeman said.

Locals alleged that the light post had been in poor condition for a long time and that no maintenance work had been carried out in the area.

An assistance of Rs 4 lakh was provided to the father of the deceased on the instructions of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari by Maniktala MLA Tapas Roy.