A 70-year-old woman was killed, and seven others were hurt in a crowd surge during the inauguration of the Navgrah Temple in Dabra, Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday.
The stampede occurred when a large group of women gathered near the Dabra stadium in the morning for a ‘Kalash Yatra’ organized as part of the temple opening ceremonies.
1 killed in Gwalior Kalash Yatra stampede
News agency said Gwalior Collector Ruchika Chauhan, who said that trouble began while they handed out sacred pots to participants.
“During the distribution of the Kalash (sacred pots), a scuffle broke out. A 70-year-old woman crushed in the crowd and died later,” Chauhan said. She also mentioned that among the injured were six women and a girl. According to the collector, three of them taken to hospitals in Gwalior for treatment, while the other four treated in Dabra.
Many injured in stampede
Gwalior Range Inspector General Arvind Saxena explained that the rush at the distribution point created a dangerous crush. “During the distribution of the Kalash, many women rushed forward, leading to a stampede-like situation. One woman crushed to death,” Saxena said.
Eyewitnesses told authorities that the crowd had become very large and that some women began pushing each other, which disrupted the arrangements and added to the chaos. The district administration reported that despite the incident, the ‘Kalash Yatra’ continued along its planned route and reached the Navgrah Temple without any further problems.
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