The Yogi Adityanath Government has set up a committee to investigate the accident that took place in the Shri Banke Bihari temple late Friday night in Mathura in which two people died due to suffocation.
The committee will be led by former Director General of Police Sulkhan Singh. The committee will probe the circumstances under which the incident took place and also suggest how to prevent recurrence of the same.
Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Gaurav Dayal will be a member of the committee.
The committee will complete its investigation and submit its report to the government within 15 days.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi issued an order to this effect.
Besides investigating the reasons for the incident, the committee will also suggest corrections and improvements required in the temple premises to avoid such mishaps in the future, and points to better manage the huge number of devotees that come to the temple.
At least two persons were suffocated to death and several others were rushed to the hospital in a stampede at the Banke Bihari temple in Mathura during mangala aarti as part of midnight celebrations of Janmashtami late night on Friday.
"Prima facie, the cause of death is suffocation due to a heavy rush during the mangala aarti," District Magistrate Navneet Singh Chahal said.
The deceased were identified as a 55-year-old woman from Noida and a 65-year-old devotee from Jabalpur.
The incident happened when devotees numbering thousands thronged the famous temple to offer prayers and participate in the rituals, packing the temple courtyard to the brim and having very little room to breathe.
The incident happened at around 2 am during the mangala aarti and the police had to restrict the entry of devotees after some started fainting inside the temple."One devotee fainted at the exit gate of the temple due to which the movement of devotees was restricted. As there was a huge crowd, many inside the premises were suffocated due to humidity. Two persons lost their lives," Mathura's Superintendent of Police Abhishek Yadav said.
A video shared by local sources showed a massive crowd gathered at the temple with people gasping for air. Police personnel were seen carrying a person, who had apparently fainted due to suffocation from overcrowding.
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple in Mathura on the occasion of Janmashtami on Friday.
Yogi Adityanath took to Twitter to express his condolences and termed this incident as heart-breaking. The chief minister said, "The loss of life in the accident in the Shri Banke Bihari temple complex of Mathura is extremely heart-wrenching. Instructions have been given to the officials for proper treatment of the injured.
My condolences are with the bereaved family. May the Almighty grant peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families. Om Shanti."
