27 persons were killed in a stampede at the Rajahmundry pushkar ghat in the East Godavari district of AP on the first day of the Godavari Maha Pushkaralu.
The Godavari Maha Pushkaralu, touted to be the Telugu states' own Kumbha Mela, commenced on a tragic note in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday when 27 persons, mostly women, were killed in a stampede at the Rajahmundry pushkar ghat in the East Godavari district.
The tragedy on the very first day of the 12-day mother of all festivals, which comes once every 144 years, shattered the religious fervour and festive atmosphere at the various pushkar ghats in the state, which were thrown into a pall of gloom as the news about the tragedy began to reach thousands of devotees, who had descended all along the banks of the mighty Godavari for a holy dip in the river on the first day of the pushkaralu.
According to the information, the tragedy occurred soon after A P Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu took a dip in the river at the pushkhar ghat in Rajahmundry, where almost all important events have been planned for the 12-day festivities.
After the Chief Minister completed his rituals and was departing, there was a sudden rush of devotees from the three gates of the ghat, leading to a stampede.
Many women and children, and aged people, were caught in the melee.
A lack of proper security arrangements and also the required measures to control the mad rush of the devotees amplified the tragedy.
As hapless women and aged persons screamed for their lives, there was none to control the maddening rush. As their near and dear ones watched helplessly, the unfortunate victims were crushed and trampled.
While many of the victims succumbed right there, the others breathed their last on the way to hospitals.
What is intriguing was that there were no ambulances and fire tenders nearby. Thus the injured were forced to be transported and rushed to the nearby hospital in police vehicles.
Chandrababu Naidu, who was virtually an eye witness to the tragedy, shed tears as he watched helplessly the gruesomeness unfolding before his eyes. He immediately ordered relief measures and proper steps to prevent such tragedies. He also called on some of the injured in the hospital, and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakhs to the families of each of the deceased.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, upon hearing of the tragedy, called up Naidu and apprised himself of the details. He expressed sorrow and sympathy to the bereaved families, and directed the AP government to take all possible measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
AICC president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao expressed their shock and dismay at the tragedy, and conveyed their sympathies to the affected families.
The tragedy also provided the much-needed fodder for the Congress, YSR Congress and BJP leaders to launch a scathing attack on Chandrababu Naidu.
They accused him of utterly failing to take the required measures to avert such incidents despite being aware of the probable number of devotees from in and around the country yearning to be undertake the holy ritual.
They even demanded that Naidu resign owning moral responsibility for the tragedy. (NSS)