Devotee At Baba Bageshwar's Birthday Celebrations Dies In Tin Shed Collapse

One person was killed and at least twelve others were injured this morning when a temporary tin structure collapsed at the Bageshwar Dham ashram in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district. The incident occurred as hundreds of devotees had gathered at the site to mark the birthday celebrations of controversial spiritual figure Dhirendra Shastri, popularly known as "Baba Bageshwar."

The incident took place shortly after the morning aarti when sudden rain forced worshippers to take shelter under a large, tent-like tin shed erected on the ashram premises. The temporary pandal, reportedly weakened by accumulated rainwater on its roof, gave way and collapsed, injuring several devotees beneath it.

Eyewitnesses said that panic ensued as rain intensified around 7:30 am, prompting dozens of devotees to rush under the shelter, which was part of arrangements made for the spiritual gathering. The structure failed under the weight of pooling rainwater, causing metal supports and beams to fall onto the crowd below.

The victim has not yet been identified. Another person is said to be in critical condition, with a CT scan already performed. 

A significant number of followers had travelled from various parts of Uttar Pradesh to attend the religious function.

Among the injured was Ghanshyam Lodha, a pilgrim from Guna district in Madhya Pradesh, who had come specifically to mark Dhirendra Shastri's birthday. According to Mr Lodha, there were over 50 people under the shed. It had started raining, and water began leaking through. The pipes and supports gave way under pressure, and the whole thing collapsed.