CHANDIGARH: A 66-year-old man allegedly died of cardiac arrest while standing in a queue to get a domestic LPG cylinder at Sehna in Barnala district on Friday morning amid supply disruptions linked to the ongoing Iran–Israel–US conflict.
Sources said the deceased has been identified as Bhushan Kumar Mittal, a resident of Sehna village. He had reportedly been trying to obtain a cylinder for the past two to three days and reached the gas agency around 7 am to stand in the queue. He was given token number 25 for the cylinder, while the line had swelled to more than 130 people by the time of the incident.
After waiting for nearly two hours, Mittal reportedly sat on a gas cylinder due to exhaustion and suddenly collapsed. People present at the spot attempted to provide first aid and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Officials said the incident occurred just minutes before the agency was scheduled to open, with many people having been waiting in the queue since early morning.
Family members said Mittal ran a small grocery shop and the family has been facing financial difficulties. He is survived by his wife, who is suffering from a serious ailment, and a married daughter. The family cremated the body without conducting a post-mortem.
With nearly one crore LPG connections in Punjab, the state Chief Secretary has directed all Deputy Commissioners to take strict action against hoarding or black-marketing of LPG cylinders. Authorities have also asked LPG dealers to report any supply issues to the district administration, while oil companies have assured that adequate domestic LPG supply is available.