India News | Stampede at COVID Vaccination Centre in Bengal, 20 Injured

Dhupguri (WB), Aug 31 (PTI) At least 20 people were injured in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Tuesday after hundreds of local residents tried to enter a vaccination centre together, leading to a stampede, police said.

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Four of them were critically injured in the incident, and they are undergoing treatment at Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital, a senior officer said.

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"As soon as the main gate of Dhupguri Health Centre was opened, several people tried to get inside the facility pushing each other. A stampede-like situation arose there. Several women were injured. We are probing the matter," the officer said.

Locals claimed that hundreds of people queued outside the vaccination centre since morning and social distancing protocols went for a toss.

Asked about what led to the stampede-like situation, the officer said, "We are probing the matter. According to a preliminary investigation, those who were in the queue tried to enter the centre in the apprehension of a shortage of vaccine doses."

The inoculation programme at the centre has been stopped following the incident, the officer added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)