Chaos broke out near the Harsiddhi Temple intersection in Ujjain on Monday as devotees waiting in the darshan queue for the Shri Nagchandreshwar Temple were caught in a stampede-like situation. Over 13 devotees were injured in the incident.
The Shri Nagchandreshwar Temple is located on the upper floor of the Mahakal Temple complex. According to initial information, rumours of a power surge near a distribution point (DP) inside the barricaded area triggered panic among devotees waiting in the queue.
Rumours of electrocution led to a stampede-like situation as crowds gathered to visit the Nagchandreshwar Temple on Shravan Monday and Nagpanchami. 13 devotees were injured after being caught in barricades and colliding with each other. The injured were taken to Charak Hospital in Ujjain for treatment.
"This occurred at Harsiddhi Chauraha. He came under a barricade when he was going for darshan at Nath Chandreshwar Mandir. A stampede had broken out there. Nobody helped him. Only one man carried him here," a woman named Meenu, whose son was injured, told news agency ANI.
The injured devotees were from Gujarat, Bihar and Gwalior. With the Nagchandreshwar Temple and Harsiddhi Temple located close to each other, the route was already witnessing heavy crowd pressure.
As soon as the incident was reported, police officials rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. After the situation stabilised, the darshan system was restored.
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Bihar’s Ashok Dham Temple Stampede
A similar incident was reported in Bihar’s Ashok Dham Temple in Lakhisarai on Monday morning. At least seven devotees were killed, and several others got injured after a stampede broke out outside the temple.
As per the initial reports, panic over a fallen electric pole and rumours of electric shock triggered the stampede. However, officials and devotees highlighted that the incident occurred due to overcrowding.