Pratapgarh stampede
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The Pratapgarh stampede was an incident that occurred on 4 March 2010, at Ram Janki temple of the
Kripalu Maharaj Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj (IAST: '; 5 October 1922 – 15 November 2013) the fifth original Jagadguru in Indian history, the embodiment of the nectar of divine love, was one of the foremost rasik saints who showered the bliss of ...
ashram in Kunda, Uttar Pradesh, India, that killed 63 people and seriously injured 74 more. The incident occurred as 10,000 people attended the temple to receive free items, such as clothes and food, on the first anniversary of the death of the wife of Kripalu Maharaj.


Cause

An unfinished temple gate fell, which may have led to a panic among the crowd and to the
stampede A stampede () is a situation in which a group of large animals suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are excited or frightened. Non-human species associated with stampede behavior include zebras, cattle, elephants ...
. Some were crushed beneath the gate while others were trampled by other members of the crowd. The cause of the gate's fall was not immediately clear, but it may have been torn down by the crowd. This year's lunch had increased attendance due to "the prior announcement that some utensils would also be distributed along with lunch", a lawmaker said. A nearby tea stall owner, witness to the stampede, reported people fearing electrocution may have caused panic. As rumours broke out that a live electric wire was in the area and had already electrocuted someone, the crowd rushed towards the under-construction gate causing it to crash.


Stampede

Of the more than 63 deaths, there were at least 37 children and 26 women, who collapsed onto their children and were trampled themselves. There are no reports of any deaths or injuries to men. Many of the dead were poor villagers taking advantage of the offer of free food. Witnesses said police exacerbated the incident by beating people with lathis.


Aftermath

Indian television aired images of stones being thrown. People and media complained about the lack of crowd control techniques at the temple thereby exaggerating the death toll. Many hundreds of weeping friends and relatives went to a local hospital upon hearing of the stampede. An inquiry was asked for by the
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
state government. A report is expected to be finalised within 48 hours. The ashram remained closed since the incident and large number of policemen including armed personnel were stationed outside its gates. President of
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
and chairman of ruling
United Progressive Alliance United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is a centre-left political alliance of predominantly left-leaning political parties in India. It was formed after the 2004 general election with support from left-leaning political parties when no single party ...
,
Sonia Gandhi Sonia Gandhi ('' née'' Maino; born 9 December 1946) is an Indian politician. She is the longest serving president of the Indian National Congress, a social democratic political party, which has governed India for most of its post-independ ...
, condoled the deaths of women and children in stampede. On 5 March
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...
announced a compensation of to relatives of those died in stampede and to those who were seriously injured. On 10 March Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Mayawati Kumari Mayawati (born 15 January 1956) is an Indian politician. She has served four separate terms as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. She is the national president of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which focuses on a platform of social cha ...
announced "...compensation of Rs. 2.50 ''
lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. For ex ...
'' 250,000)each for the next of kin of the 63 persons who died ... ndRs. 75,000 ... for each of the 74 who were injured." It's not clear whether this was (or was intended to be) in addition to the Prime Minister's announced payments. On 7 March, spiritual guru Kripaluji Maharaj's Bhakti Dham Ashr announced that it would pay a lakh (100,000) rupees each to the families of the 63 dead and Rs. 50,000 to each of the 64 injured. The funds were given to the district magistrate to distribute to the correct parties.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratapgarh stampede, 2010 2010 in India Human stampedes in India Human stampedes in 2010 History of Uttar Pradesh (1947–present) Disasters in Uttar Pradesh Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh