New Delhi: On the third Monday of Sawan and on the occasion of Nag Panchami, there was a huge crowd of devotees in the Mahakaleshwar temple of Ujjain. The doors of Nagchandreshwar temple were also opened with the darshan of Lord Mahakal. Meanwhile, the rumor of electric shock spreading in the barricaded area in front of Harsiddhi temple suddenly created fear among the devotees. Within a short time, the pressure of the crowd increased and a stampede-like situation was created.
According to the information, during the queue for darshan in Nagchandreshwar temple, the news of electric shock spread rapidly around the DP near Harsiddhi temple intersection. On hearing the rumour, many devotees got scared and started trying to move around in the crowd. During this, some people fell and some collided with the barricading. The security personnel and family members present on the spot tried to take people out of the crowd. Information about the health of some devotees deteriorating and them becoming unconscious also came to light. According to local reports, about 13 devotees are said to have been injured in the incident. The injured were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Lakhs of devotees reached Ujjain
On the third Monday of Sawan, there was a huge crowd in the temple area since morning for the darshan of Mahakal. Nagchandreshwar temple opens only once a year, hence a large number of devotees reach Ujjain to visit it. Apart from this, due to Nag Panchami and Mahakal ride also happening on the same day, the crowd increased further. According to the temple committee, so far about 6.19 lakh devotees have visited. There were long queues on different routes, but necessary arrangements were made for the safety of the devotees and to maintain the darshan system.
Temple committee termed the news of stampede as misleading
After the incident, reports of stampede and chaos in the temple surfaced on social media and some media platforms. Mahakal Temple Management Committee has denied these claims. The committee says that due to the huge number of devotees, crowd pressure increased at some places, but there was no major stampede in the temple.
It also came to light that some devotees crossed the barricades near Neelkanth gate. The committee has appealed to the people not to believe in rumors and must verify any information before sharing it. Devotees have been asked to rely only on information received through official channels.