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147 killed, 55 injured in Jodhpur temple stampede

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    A major stampede occurred in Chamunda Devi temple at start of Navaratra festival in Jodhpur.

    Eyewitnesses said as some devotees slipped on the 75-metre slope, others fell on each other causing the stampede.

    "Many of those killed died due to suffocation as a result of the stampede," Principal Secretary (Home) S N Thanvi said in Jaipur.

    15 to 20 people were killed on the spot and the others succumbed to their injuries in various hospitals including Mahatma Gandhi, Mathuradas Mathur and Sun City Hospitals here, officials said.

    Chief Minister Vasudhara Raje, who visited the tragedy site, ordered an inquiry into the incident and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of the kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured.

    Officials said the situation went out of control as devotees, carrying offerings, jostled with each other and tried to rush towards the temple doors breaking the barricades.

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    Inspector General of Police, Jodhpur, Rajiv Dasod said some of the devotees slipped on a 75-metre-long slope on the temple path causing the stampede in the 100-metre zone around it.

    "There has been no casualty in the queue for women in which a large number of children were also present," he said.

    The injured were rushed to hospitals in police vehicles and ambulances, Dasod said, adding that the whole areas was evacuated within an hour.

    Some eyewitness told police that a side wall of the temple had also collapsed due to pressure from the large number of devotees.

    Previous12
    jodhpur .By: Deepak | 02-Oct-2008 Reply | Forward pls read dis
    Jodhpur temple stampedeBy: Pinak Kemkar | 01-Oct-2008 Reply | Forward It is sorry state of affairs that inspite of similar incidents in different states the administrators are not learning from past. we ultimately leave it as a wish of god and forget.
    DEPRESSINGBy: SHEREEN | 01-Oct-2008 Reply | Forward it is really depressing to find out that stampedes still occur, we go to worship why is there death tolls at the end of the day. we all are there for the same reason. we need peace and harmony not deaths.
    May the best manage the templesBy: Som Karamchetty, PHD | 01-Oct-2008 Reply | Forward It is tragic and a shame that such stampedes take place at religious places. The best solution is to get the government out of managing temples and other religious places and events. Government officials treat pilgrims as animals and move them in constricted pens. In the case of a temple in the South, when I pointed out a potential problem, they passed the buck on. Let the affairs of temples and festivals be handled by independent trusts with accountability and transparency. I understand that both Shirdi and Satya Sai Baba trusts make excellent arrangements. Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam is very rich and has advanced technological systems. State Governments may focus on law and order on the periphery of the temple (Gurdwara, church, and mosque) towns. I hope BJP and other religiously inclined parties join together and get the governments out of religious duties.
    StampedeBy: Aniket Khomeni | 01-Oct-2008 Reply | Forward This is be conspiracy to kill hindus by christian missionary. All minorities must be to leave India. Then peace to come. Jai Shri Ram
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