- Over 20,000 women attended a Rakshabandhan event in Bareilly, causing chaos
- Women fainted and got injured due to crowd crush and intense heat at the venue
- Police were not informed in advance and no formal complaint has been lodged
A Rakshabandhan event organised by Bareilly BJP Mayor Umesh Gautam where sarees were distributed witnessed chaotic scenes after a crowd of over 20,000 women turned up, leading to a situation where women fainted after being crushed in the throng, officials said.
The event, organised a day before Rakshabandhan, was held at Bareilly Club Ground in Uttar Pradesh.
Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya said police had not been informed about the event in advance. The police informed that no formal complaint has been lodged.
Police arrive at the scene as scores of women are injured at a Rakhi event in UP
A crowd had gathered early for the program, which was scheduled to run from morning till evening. The situation deteriorated as the crowd swelled amidst intense heat and humidity. Many women fainted due to the heat and the pushing and shoving. Unconscious and injured women were seen being transported out in ambulances.
A woman faints and is down on the ground amid scramble for gifts at Rakhi event in UP
Ambulances arrive at the scene as scores of women faint and are injured at a Rakhi event in Bareilly
Coupons had been distributed in advance for women to tie rakhis at the event. A large number of women arrived accompanied by their children and elderly family members. The crowd became so dense that there was hardly any standing room left in the ground, showed pictires from the scene. Many women breached the barricades and began moving towards the stage, the pictures showed.
Women seen crowding the stage at a Rakhi event in UP
Observing the worsening situation, Mayor Umesh Gautam attempted to disperse the crowd to different areas. He reportedly sent his son, Parth Gautam, to the main gate so that rakhis could be tied there as well. Despite this, the pressure from the crowd did not subside. Several women fell down amidst the pushing and shoving near the stage.
Reports also emerged of children getting separated from their families within the crowd at the venue. Announcements regarding children and their families were continuously made over the loudspeaker from the stage.
Broken bangles, slippers, and other personal items were seen scattered across the grounds.
An elderly woman recounted that a young girl had been trapped in the crush and was rescued only after remaining pinned down for about five minutes; the woman herself sustained injuries to her hands and legs during the incident.
The picture captures the commotion during a Rakhi event in UP
A woman who had traveled from the Bhuta area to attend the event said that someone grabbed her hand as she was moving towards the stage. Amidst the pushing and shoving, her slippers and even the toe rings she was wearing came off and fell to the ground.
Women attending the event also questioned the arrangements. They pointed out that while a large number of women had been invited, there appeared to be inadequate measures to control the crowd.
The women expressed dissatisfaction regarding the lack of drinking water in the heat, the absence of safe pathways, and the poor crowd management. The pressure from the crowd intensified during the distribution of gifts, leading to pushing and shoving as women scrambled to collect them.
(With inputs from Randeep Singh)
