A mismanaged affair : Stampede during ration distribution leaves two women dead

Police plan to impose Section 144 at such places to prevent future incidents.

KARACHI: Two women lost their lives and at least two others were wounded following a stampede at a wedding hall in Gulshan-e-Iqbal where a philanthropist had made arrangements to hand out free ration ahead of Ramazan. 

The injured women were rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors pronounced Nusrat Altaf and Uzma Jamal dead on arrival, while others were discharged after being given first aid.

Following the incident, an extra contingent of law enforcers reached the site and temporarily suspended the distribution process. The police said that a score of women had lined up outside the hall and were waiting for their turn when the stampede broke out.



“Women grew impatient and tried to get their hands on anything they could and that led to the stampede,” said SSP Imran Shaukat. “The women were joined by several men and that resulted in minor scuffles and aggravated the situation.” The police have detained the philanthropist and a case would be registered against him for not taking the police and the deputy commissioner into confidence, he added. “This incident occurred only because of mismanagement on part of the organisers.”

In the aftermath of the incident, the police plan to impose Section 144 on ration distribution without taking the authorities into confidence. “I will have a meeting with DC sahib tomorrow (Tuesday) and will request him to impose Section 144.”

The detained philanthropist, however, defended himself and said that he had arranged 400 ration bags, containing ghee, rice, flour and sugar, but more than 4,000 people turned up. “I had no idea this would happen,” said the detainee, who wished to remain anonymous. “I have been doing this for years, but this is the first time such an incident took place. We were inside the hall and the stampede broke out somewhere near the congested gate of the hall.”

According to the women who were present at the time of distribution, they were called to the hall by the philanthropist. “An announcement was made for us to gather outside the hall yesterday [Sunday],” said Nargis Bibi. “A huge crowd of women was already present when we got there and it was very difficult to maintain a queue.”

A similar incident had taken place in Jodia Bazar in 2009 in which 18 women lost their lives and several others were injured.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2013.