NEW DELHI, Aug 20: Two persons died of suffocation and six were injured during Janmashtami celebrations on Friday night at the Banke Bihari temple in Mathura, officials said on Saturday. The temple saw massive crowding as devotees flocked to the temple to celebrate the festival.
The deceased have been identified as Nirmala Devi and Ram Prasad Vishwakarma who were declared dead at the hospital, police said. The suffocation inside the temple during the “Mangala Aarti” was caused by restricted movement of the pilgrims after one of the devotees fainted at the exit gate.
“During Mangala Aarti at Banke Bihari in Mathura, one devotee fainted at the exit gate of the temple due to which movement of devotees was restricted. As there was a huge crowd, many inside the premises suffocated. Two people lost their lives,” said Senior Superintendent of Police, Mathura.
As per initial reports, six people sustained injuries. The injured were immediately shifted to the hospital, while the officials took over the situation. Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna, was celebrated across the country with great fervour on Friday. Temples were seen lit up with colourful lights and chants of “Jai Shree Krishna” reverberated across various cities and towns. The devotees also thronged the Lord Krishna temple Bhagwat Bhavan in Mathura and across the country to participate in the midnight celebrations on the occasion of Janmashtami.
(Manas Dasgupta)
