Three die in stampede at Simariya Mela in Bihar
TRAGEDY Villagers blame authorities for lack of proper infrastructure
PAT NA: Three women were killed and 10 other devotees were injured in a stampede on the banks of the Ganga in Bihar’s Begusarai where hundreds of people had gathered for a holy dip on the occasion of Kartik Purni ma on Saturday, eye-witnesses said.
The incident took place at Simariya Ghat, 19 km from Begusarai and 110 km east of Patna. Beg us ar a is up erin ten dent of police Aditya Kumar, confirmed the deaths but denied any stampede. “The victims, all women, were more than 80 years old and were apparently very weak. It appears they died of suffocation after being stuck in a narrow lane that was beingused by alarge number of pilgrims for going to and returning from the ghat,” he told HT.
The incident site was strewn with slippers and water bottles left behind by people as they rushed to escape from being crushed in the lane.
According to eye witnesses, the incident took place at around 7 am after a rumour of an incident at the ghat rapidly spread and the crowd panicked. Village rs, however, blamed gross negligence on the part of the administration that resulted in crowd control systems going hay wire, resulting in the incident.
Following the stampede, locals themselves started rescue efforts in the absence of volunteers at the spot. Basic arrangements like watch towers, public address systems were all found unmanned.
It was the second time that a stampede broke out at Simariya Ghat, the venue for the Ardh Mahakumbh inaugurated last month. Chaos enveloped the area soon after when police re sorted to a mild lathicharge to control the panicked devotees.
Meanwhile, chief minister N it- ish Kumar expressed his grief over the incident and announced that besides receiving ex gratia, those injured would be provided free treatment.
Opposition leader and former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Y ad av, meanwhile, asked the CM to take moral responsibility for the incident. Simariya Mela, which is also known as‘ K alp was Mel a’ is organised on the banks of the Gang a at Si mariya G hat during October-November every year. It attracts thousands of devo tees, not just from India but from Bhutan and Nepal, as well.