Ujjain Mahakal Temple Sees Stampede As Massive Crowds Visit On First Monday Of Shravan, Dozens Injured

Many devotees, including women and children, were injured on July 26 following a stampede at Ujjain's famous Mahakaleshwar Siva Temple. The crowd turned uncontrollable after visits by some VIPs. Visit by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan affected the smooth flow of devotees. The incident took place at gate number four of the temple. After much struggling and pushing, the security cordon gave way and people simply rushed in. Several tumbled down and many others fell over them. A video of the incident shows even policemen being overpowered. Some devotees also engaged in physical violence.

Up to 3,500 devotees are permitted to enter the premises between 6 am and 8 pm. There are seven time slots of two hours each. 500 people are allowed in each slot. However, VIPs like Uma Bharti & Chouhan, too, chose to visit the temple on Monday, along with their families. This made it all the worse for the the administration, temple officials said. Ujjain District Collector Ashish Singh said on July 26 that it was an exception and normalcy would return from next Monday. Watch the video to know more.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 27, 2021 05:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).