A stampede at a temple in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, claimed two lives and injured 29 more. An electric shock on the temple grounds caused panic among the pilgrims, which in turn sparked a stampede.
Devotees were presenting water to Lord Shiva during a ritual at the Awsaneshwar Mahadev temple on the intervening night of July 27 and 28. Devotees gathered for the ‘Jalabhishek’ on Sunday night at the Awsaneshwar Mahadev temple in the Haidergarh region of the Barabanki district.
This ritual involves offering water to deities, especially Lord Shiva, as a means of worship and purification. It’s frequently done during Sawan, particularly on Mondays.
On the third Monday of Sawan, a large number of devotees arrived to take part in the ceremony, and Jalabhishek began at midnight. A stampede broke out at roughly two in the morning when allegations of electric shock spread.
The District Magistrate claims that some monkeys leaped on an overhead electric wire, causing it to break and fall onto the temple’s shed. An electric shock resulted from this.
People were frantically trying to save their lives as chaos broke out. According to reports, 29 devotees were hurt and transported to the Haidergarh and Trivediganj Community Health Centre, while two of them passed away immediately. People who were seriously hurt were taken to the district hospital right away.
“Every patient who was brought to the Haidergarh Community Health Centre has been released,” stated Awadhesh Kumar Yadav, Barabanki’s chief medical officer. Two of the ten individuals who were taken to Trivediganj CHC were pronounced dead. “The rest are stable and receiving treatment,” he continued.
Considering the safety of the sizable crowd, police were allegedly already at the shrine. The news of the stampede prompted the deployment of a large police force. Similar events were recorded from the Mansa Devi Temple in Haridwar, where a rush on Monday claimed eight lives and injured thirty pilgrims.
The temple road leading to the main temple had staircases where the stampede took place. According to police, the stampede was triggered by allegations that the throng was afraid of being electrocuted.