Varanasi Not a First, India Has a Gory History of Stampedes

The Varanasi stampede is not an isolated incident; India has seen several gory stampedes in the past.

Devotees attending the Maha Pushkaralu, a Hindu festival, on the banks of river Godavari at Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh where a stampede killed 27 (Photo: Reuters)

At least 19 people have died in a stampede during Baba Jai Gurudev’s sabha in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. According to the District Magistrate, the stampede occurred on a bridge between Varanasi and Chandauli. Out of the dead, 14 are reported to be women and five men.

The incident took place when thousands of followers of religious leader Jai Gurudev were on their way to Domri village on the banks of Ganga to take part in the two-day camp. Nearly 60 people have been injured, according to PTI.

However, this is not the first time India has witnessed an event turned into a violent stampede in India. Here’s a list of some of the major stampedes that the country has witnessed in the past.

Year 2000-2008

27 August 2003 (Maharashtra) - The Kumbh Mela stampede in Nasik left 40 pilgrims killed and 125 injured.

25 January 2005 (Maharashtra) - At Mandhar Devi temple in Satara district, 340 people were killed in a stampede. It was triggered when several people slipped on the steps of the temple made slippery by the coconut water the devotees had left after breaking them.

Also Read: Varanasi: 19 Dead, 60 Injured in Stampede at Baba Gurudev’s Sabha

3 August 2008 (Himachal Pradesh) - When rumours of a landslide in Bilaspur reached the Naina Devi temple, it resulted in a stampede killing 150.

30 September 2008 (Rajasthan) - In Jodhpur, 224 pilgrims died in a stampede at Chamunda Devi.

Police and administrative officials manning a queue of Kanwaryas at Babadham Temple where a stampede took place in Deoghar. (Photo: PTI)

Year 2010

4 March 2010 (Uttar Pradesh) - A total of 63 people, with a majority of women and children, were killed in a stampede at a temple in Pratapgarh.

Also Read: Jai Gurudev Baba: From Mathura Clashes to Varanasi Stampede

Year 2011

14 January 2011 (Kerala) - A total of 104 pilgrims died on Makara Jyothi Day at Sabarimala.

Year 2012

23 September 2012 (Uttar Pradesh) - The stampede took place as devotees tried exiting the Ladli Ji temple in Barsana on the occasion of Radha Ashtami. There were three confirmed casualties with about 14 people getting injured.

24 September 2012 (Jharkhand) - On the occasion of Saint Thakur Anukul Chand’s 125th birth anniversary celebrations in an ashram in Deogarh, nine devotees died of suffocation during the morning prayers.

19 November 2012 (Bihar) - A stampede on a bridge over the Ganga river during Chhath Puja in Patna killed 18 and injured many people.

Spot of stampede in Odisha. Image used only for representational purposes. (Photo: PTI)

Year 2013

10 February 2013 (Uttar Pradesh) - A stampede at Allahabad railway station killed 37 and injured several devotees returning from the Kumbh Mela.

13 October 2013 (Madhya Pradesh) - 115 people were killed and over a 110 injured during a stampede on a bridge near the Ratangarh Mata Temple in Datia district during Navratri.

Year 2014

15 January 2014 (Bihar) - When thousands of people tried entering the theatre to watch cultural programmes of Mandar Mela, the resultant stampede killed three people and injured 12. The stampede took place on Makar Sankranti in Banka district.

25 August 2014 (Madhya Pradesh) - At Kamtanath Pahad Temple, close to Satna district, 10 pilgrims were killed and more than 60 were injured in a stampede.

(With inputs from The Hindu, Hindustan Times and Daily Bhaskar )