Blood on Godavari
* 29 killed in Godavari Pushkaram stampede at Rajahmundry
* Tragedy struck at the same spot where CM Chandrababu Naidu took holy dip
* After Naidu left, only a dozen cops were present to control the crowd of more than 3,000 pilgrims
* Naidu rushed to the control room and took charge
* Govt announced Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of each of the deceased
Hyderabad: In a man-made disaster that left Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in tears, 29 people, including 17 women and a 10-year old boy, were killed and over 35 others injured in a stampede at Rajahmundry on the banks of river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh on the first day of the 12-day Pushkarams, a major religious festival that comes once every 12 years.
The tragedy occurred at the same Pushkara Ghat (bathing ghat) where Chandrababu, his family and many ministers and officials took the holy dip two hours earlier, formally declaring the commencement of pushkarams. About 35 injured have been undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Rajahmundry. According to eyewitnesses, all the over 300 policemen of different ranks left the ghats along with or after Naidu left after the dip. Only a few cops were present to control the crowd of more than 3,000 pilgrims, who rushed into the ghat from all directions soon after the gates opened to them. “Rajahmundry municipal corporation commissioner was the first to notice the stampede and he personally made announcement from the control room calling upon the police to rush to the spot to control the situation. He was asking the police to close the gates for some time till the situation came under control. But the police did not rush to the spot”, an eyewitness told Mirror.
“Had there been enough police force in place at the ghat, people would not have jumped from the temple wall, ghat wall and rushed through the barricades. There was no control”, the eyewitnesses said. The gates were closed for the public for three hours, till the chief minister and others left the place. As a result, thousands kept waiting to rush to the river the moment gates are opened. Also, four trains, including two specials and two regulars, arrived at the Rajahmundry railway station, to which the ghat is very close. Also, hundreds of pilgrims arrived by special buses at the bus stand. Krishna district superintendent of police Vijay Kumar was incharge of the ghat. When the gates were suddenly opened to the public, men and women, along with children, ran inside from every possible way, hoping to take the first dip in the first hour on the first day.
Eyewitnesses also said there was no scope for the crowd to notice aged women and men, who fell down in the melee. Thousands of pilgrims walked over them, resulting in their deaths on the spot. More than 24 died on the spot while a couple of them died on way to hospital. Police said many of the deceased were from North Coastal Andhra region (Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts). There were three persons from same family among the deceased.
Relatives of the deceased and injured were inconsolable at the Rajahmundry government hospital. This is considered the first-of-its kind biggest-ever tragedy claiming so many lives in a religious congregation in Andhra Pradesh.
As an immediate response, Naidu rushed to the control room and took control of the things. Donning the role of the incharge of the control room. Going by the visuals on the CCTV cameras, Naidu kept passing instructions to the police officers on deploying men and on diverting the crowds to other ghats where the crowds were thin. When asked his comment on the police failure, Home Minister N Chinna Rajappa said, “Now, we are busy trying to streamline the situation. We will take action against officers who are responsible."
Naidu’s dreams shattered
Things went horribly wrong for chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu who chose Godavari Pushkaram as an event to bring hype for his new state, from which Telangana was separated a year ago. Like never before, Naidu got heli-tourism, laser show, sky lanterns (akasa deepaalu), sand art festival, food festival, flower and horticulture show, prabhalu festival and many other events. Heli tourism enables a pilgrim go round all the ghats and the river Godavari in a helicopter. The Naidu government invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all Central ministers, leaders of many national parties and CMs of neighbouring states and even pontiffs of various Hindu cults to have a holy dip in River Godavari during the 12 days. Deviating from the normal practice of confining its role to providing basic amenities, the state government made all arrangements to make it a grand success. All the departments together spent Rs 1,600 crore on the pushkarams. A pushkaram that comes once in every 144 years is called Maha Pushkaram and this time it is Maha Pushkaram. The government expected a huge turnout of three to four crore pilgrims to take bath in about 240 ghats in both East and West Godavari districts. Over 30,000 cops have been deployed for security, law and order and traffic management. “It is a tragedy that shocked us. We learn from these experiences but, won’t be disappointed or depressed”, said home minister Chinna Rajappa even as the CM looked visibly shaken.
Indications from the government suggest that many heads may roll after the completion of the event on July 25. The CM is said to have expressed his anger at the East Godavari superintendent of police for failure in coordinating the event. Naidu, who has set October 22 as the muhurat for laying of foundation for construction of the new capital at Amaravati by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pinned his hopes on the Godavari Pushkarams to kick-start the development in the state.
Stampedes in the last ten years
October 3, 2014: 32 people died in a stampede after Ravan-burning at Dushhera festival in Patna
January 18, 2014: 18 people died outside the residence of Dawoodi Bohra spiritual leader Syedna in Mumbai
October 13, 2013: 89 killed in stampede near Ratangarh, Madhya Pradesh
February 10, 2013: 36 people killed in a stampede at Allahabad railway station during the Kumbh Mela
November 19, 2012: 20 killed in a stampede in Patna during Chhath festival
November 8, 2011: 22 killed in stampede in Haridwar at Har-ki-Pauri ghat
January 14, 2011: 106 pilgrims killed in a stampede at Sabarimala shrine in Kerela; over 100 injured
March 4, 2010: 63 people killed in a stampede at Ram Janki Temple in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh
September 30, 2008: Over 120 killed and 200 injured in a stampede at Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur
August 3, 2006: Nearly 150 devotees killed in Himachal Pradesh’s Naina Devi temple.
January 26, 2005: Nearly 350 devotees killed at a religious fair at Mandher Devi temple near Wai in Satara district in western Maharashtra. Over 200 people were injured
* Tragedy struck at the same spot where CM Chandrababu Naidu took holy dip
* After Naidu left, only a dozen cops were present to control the crowd of more than 3,000 pilgrims
* Naidu rushed to the control room and took charge
* Govt announced Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of each of the deceased
Hyderabad: In a man-made disaster that left Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in tears, 29 people, including 17 women and a 10-year old boy, were killed and over 35 others injured in a stampede at Rajahmundry on the banks of river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh on the first day of the 12-day Pushkarams, a major religious festival that comes once every 12 years.
The tragedy occurred at the same Pushkara Ghat (bathing ghat) where Chandrababu, his family and many ministers and officials took the holy dip two hours earlier, formally declaring the commencement of pushkarams. About 35 injured have been undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Rajahmundry. According to eyewitnesses, all the over 300 policemen of different ranks left the ghats along with or after Naidu left after the dip. Only a few cops were present to control the crowd of more than 3,000 pilgrims, who rushed into the ghat from all directions soon after the gates opened to them. “Rajahmundry municipal corporation commissioner was the first to notice the stampede and he personally made announcement from the control room calling upon the police to rush to the spot to control the situation. He was asking the police to close the gates for some time till the situation came under control. But the police did not rush to the spot”, an eyewitness told Mirror.
“Had there been enough police force in place at the ghat, people would not have jumped from the temple wall, ghat wall and rushed through the barricades. There was no control”, the eyewitnesses said. The gates were closed for the public for three hours, till the chief minister and others left the place. As a result, thousands kept waiting to rush to the river the moment gates are opened. Also, four trains, including two specials and two regulars, arrived at the Rajahmundry railway station, to which the ghat is very close. Also, hundreds of pilgrims arrived by special buses at the bus stand. Krishna district superintendent of police Vijay Kumar was incharge of the ghat. When the gates were suddenly opened to the public, men and women, along with children, ran inside from every possible way, hoping to take the first dip in the first hour on the first day.
Eyewitnesses also said there was no scope for the crowd to notice aged women and men, who fell down in the melee. Thousands of pilgrims walked over them, resulting in their deaths on the spot. More than 24 died on the spot while a couple of them died on way to hospital. Police said many of the deceased were from North Coastal Andhra region (Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts). There were three persons from same family among the deceased.
Relatives of the deceased and injured were inconsolable at the Rajahmundry government hospital. This is considered the first-of-its kind biggest-ever tragedy claiming so many lives in a religious congregation in Andhra Pradesh.
As an immediate response, Naidu rushed to the control room and took control of the things. Donning the role of the incharge of the control room. Going by the visuals on the CCTV cameras, Naidu kept passing instructions to the police officers on deploying men and on diverting the crowds to other ghats where the crowds were thin. When asked his comment on the police failure, Home Minister N Chinna Rajappa said, “Now, we are busy trying to streamline the situation. We will take action against officers who are responsible."
Naidu’s dreams shattered
Things went horribly wrong for chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu who chose Godavari Pushkaram as an event to bring hype for his new state, from which Telangana was separated a year ago. Like never before, Naidu got heli-tourism, laser show, sky lanterns (akasa deepaalu), sand art festival, food festival, flower and horticulture show, prabhalu festival and many other events. Heli tourism enables a pilgrim go round all the ghats and the river Godavari in a helicopter. The Naidu government invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all Central ministers, leaders of many national parties and CMs of neighbouring states and even pontiffs of various Hindu cults to have a holy dip in River Godavari during the 12 days. Deviating from the normal practice of confining its role to providing basic amenities, the state government made all arrangements to make it a grand success. All the departments together spent Rs 1,600 crore on the pushkarams. A pushkaram that comes once in every 144 years is called Maha Pushkaram and this time it is Maha Pushkaram. The government expected a huge turnout of three to four crore pilgrims to take bath in about 240 ghats in both East and West Godavari districts. Over 30,000 cops have been deployed for security, law and order and traffic management. “It is a tragedy that shocked us. We learn from these experiences but, won’t be disappointed or depressed”, said home minister Chinna Rajappa even as the CM looked visibly shaken.
Indications from the government suggest that many heads may roll after the completion of the event on July 25. The CM is said to have expressed his anger at the East Godavari superintendent of police for failure in coordinating the event. Naidu, who has set October 22 as the muhurat for laying of foundation for construction of the new capital at Amaravati by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pinned his hopes on the Godavari Pushkarams to kick-start the development in the state.
Stampedes in the last ten years
October 3, 2014: 32 people died in a stampede after Ravan-burning at Dushhera festival in Patna
January 18, 2014: 18 people died outside the residence of Dawoodi Bohra spiritual leader Syedna in Mumbai
October 13, 2013: 89 killed in stampede near Ratangarh, Madhya Pradesh
February 10, 2013: 36 people killed in a stampede at Allahabad railway station during the Kumbh Mela
November 19, 2012: 20 killed in a stampede in Patna during Chhath festival
November 8, 2011: 22 killed in stampede in Haridwar at Har-ki-Pauri ghat
January 14, 2011: 106 pilgrims killed in a stampede at Sabarimala shrine in Kerela; over 100 injured
March 4, 2010: 63 people killed in a stampede at Ram Janki Temple in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh
September 30, 2008: Over 120 killed and 200 injured in a stampede at Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur
August 3, 2006: Nearly 150 devotees killed in Himachal Pradesh’s Naina Devi temple.
January 26, 2005: Nearly 350 devotees killed at a religious fair at Mandher Devi temple near Wai in Satara district in western Maharashtra. Over 200 people were injured
