Temple tragedy: Rumour triggers stampede in India, over 90 dead

Death toll likely to rise as many are critically injured, say medics.

NEW DEHLI/ BHOPAL:

A day after overseeing a mass evacuation of coastal dwellers from the states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, Indian authorities were confronted on Sunday with a largely manmade disaster in Madhya Pradesh. The super cyclone that pounded the Indian coast on Saturday evening caused fewer fatalities than the stampede on a bridge outside a Hindu temple, which left more than 90 people dead. The Times of India newspaper put the number of deaths from the stampede at 115 – 92 fatalities more than that caused by the cyclone. However, no independent confirmation could be made.

Many of the stampede victims leaped to their deaths in the water below.

Officials said the panic appeared to have been sparked by a false rumour that the bridge outside the historic Ratangarh Temple might collapse after being struck by a heavy vehicle. However, Reuters reported that pilgrims panicked when the railings of the bridge actually broke, which triggered the stampede.

Meanwhile, witnesses said that the situation escalated when police weighed in with batons.



Police warned that the number could rise further as medics struggled to make their way through hordes of pilgrims to reach the scene of the tragedy -- the latest in a string of disasters at religious festivals.

“The death toll has risen to 91 and 10 others are in a critical condition,” said Deputy Police Inspector DK Arya after the tragedy in the Datia district of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

“There were rumours that the bridge could collapse after the tractor hit it,” said Arya. “Many people are feared to have fallen into the river.”

Some 20,000 people were on the bridge over the River Sindh when the stampede broke out, other police officials said.

Large crowds began converging on the site from early morning as Hindus celebrate the end of the Navaratri festival. The festival is dedicated to the worship of the Hindu goddess Durga, which draws millions of worshippers to temples, especially in northern and central India.

Up to 400,000 devotees were already inside or around the temple in Datia district, about 350 kilometres north of the state capital Bhopal, when the stampede took place.

Witnesses said the situation was exacerbated by police charging at the crowds with batons.

“The police’s lathi-charge during the panic run worsened the situation, forcing many to jump off the bridge,” 28-year-old Manoj Sharma, who lives in a nearby village, told The Times of India website.



However Arya insisted that “there was no baton-charge” by the police.

Uma Shankar Gupta, the state’s home minister, said authorities had not yet determined why the stampede broke out, and he also downplayed suggestions that security to deal with the crowds was inadequate. “There were safety measures in place as this is an annual event,” he told reporters. “We don’t yet have information on how this happened, as our focus is on the rescue effort.”

Ashok Argal, a federal lawmaker from the region, placed the blame on crowds trying to rush across the bridge. “It is wrong to say that there were any administrative lapses. The administration had taken steps and made fool-proof arrangements to avoid any untoward incident,” he maintained.

“Sometimes there is little cooperation from people who are always in a hurry, because of which this unfortunate incident occurred.”

The Times of India reported that crowds could be seen pelting the police with stones as frustration grew over the rescue operation.

Efforts to reach the injured and ferry them to hospitals were being hampered by the huge volume of traffic in the area. A team of around 20 medics had however managed to reach the scene of the tragedy, and the casualty wards of nearby hospitals were being emptied to cope with the influx of victims.

The state’s chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a compensation of 150,000 Indian rupees to the families of those killed, and 50,000 Indian rupees to the injured.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2013.