Actor Yash personally visited the village of the three young fans who lost their lives while putting up a birthday banner for him. The tragic incident occurred in Karnataka’s Gadag on Sunday midnight when a metal frame of a large banner celebrating Yash’s birthday accidentally touched a power line, resulting in the electrocution of the three men in their early twenties, as reported by the police.

Banner’s metal frame contacts power cable, leading to fatalities

The police identified the three men, Hanumanth Harijan (24), Murali Naduvinamani (20), and Naveen Gaaji (20), as dedicated fans of actor Yash. The tragic incident occurred at 1 am on Monday in Karnataka’s Gadag. Yash, renowned for his role in KGF, was away shooting for his upcoming film, Toxic, during the incident. Upon returning to Hubballi airport on Monday evening, he drove over 50 km to Suranagi village, Laxmeshwar taluk, to personally meet and offer condolences to the families of the deceased.

On January 4, Yash had informed his fans that due to his busy shooting schedule, he wouldn’t be able to meet them on his birthday this year. Gadag’s Superintendent of Police, Babasaheb Nemagouda, explained that the group of locals was erecting the iron frame for the banner when the electrocution incident occurred, resulting in the death of three men and injuries to three others.

The banner’s metal frame came into contact with a HESCOM (Hubli Electricity Supply Company Limited) cable, leading to the tragic incident. A case has been registered, according to Gadag Superintendent of Police Babasaheb Nemagouda. Shirhatti MLA Chandru Lamani urged people to refrain from setting up metal-frame banners.

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed sorrow over the incident and announced compensation of ₹2 lakh for the families of the three men. He emphasized the need for caution when setting up such banners.

Leader of the Opposition, R Ashok, suggested that film actors advise their fans against installing such cut-outs to prevent tragedies. He also proposed government restrictions on the use of such cut-outs to avoid similar incidents in the future.