Staff Reporter :
Several Hindu devotees have alleged that mismanagement was the main reason behind the tragic incident of stampede during the ‘Punya Snan’, the holy bath, in the Old Brahmaputra at Langalbandh in Narayanganj
on Friday morning. They said there was no discipline on the way to river ghats and the number of law enforcing personnel was also insufficient. For that reason, the ten devotees died in the stampede as people started running here and there in panic.
Besides, there was no ambulance nearby to carry the injured to clinics and hospitals, which they alleged, contributed to the increase of number of death.
Local UP member Abdul Kadir, who was an eyewitness, said, “The number of devotees was huge this year than the previous years. The highest number of devotees was seen at Tajghat, Annapurna and Gandhi ghats.”
“Besides, the roads towards the ghats are narrow. The Bailey bridge there is also very narrow. Some followers of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) were going towards the ghats with beating drums. On the other hand, a group of devotees were returning after taking bath. At that time, the devotees started running suddenly and several died after being stampeded,” he said.
Three sisters, Chhabi Rani, Rina Rani and Swapna Rani, were returning after bathing in the holy water.
Of them, Chhabi and Rina suddenly found that their sister Swapna was not with them. They heard the rumour that the bailey bridge was collapsed. “We later found the body of our sister Swapna in an intersection of three roads. She was lying dead on two other bodies,” Chhabi said. Several other persons, including local shoppers, said that they heard the rumour of bridge collapse. None of them, however, could give any information how the rumour took birth.
Johnny Das, husband of dead Rahi Das, said that he was returning holding the hand of his wife. But they were separated when the chaos began. “Rahi and her mother fell on the road. They both were killed being stampeded by thousands of people.” After the incident, hundreds of pairs of torn sandals, shoes and different other things were seen scattered on the road. MP of Narayanganj -5 Selim Osman visited the spot after the incident and expressed his deep sorrow over the death.
Narayanganj Additional Superintendent of Police Md Jakaria, however, denied the allegations of insufficient preventive measures and said that the authorities were asking the devotees not to throng the site of the accident.
Several Hindu devotees have alleged that mismanagement was the main reason behind the tragic incident of stampede during the ‘Punya Snan’, the holy bath, in the Old Brahmaputra at Langalbandh in Narayanganj
on Friday morning. They said there was no discipline on the way to river ghats and the number of law enforcing personnel was also insufficient. For that reason, the ten devotees died in the stampede as people started running here and there in panic.
Besides, there was no ambulance nearby to carry the injured to clinics and hospitals, which they alleged, contributed to the increase of number of death.
Local UP member Abdul Kadir, who was an eyewitness, said, “The number of devotees was huge this year than the previous years. The highest number of devotees was seen at Tajghat, Annapurna and Gandhi ghats.”
“Besides, the roads towards the ghats are narrow. The Bailey bridge there is also very narrow. Some followers of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) were going towards the ghats with beating drums. On the other hand, a group of devotees were returning after taking bath. At that time, the devotees started running suddenly and several died after being stampeded,” he said.
Three sisters, Chhabi Rani, Rina Rani and Swapna Rani, were returning after bathing in the holy water.
Of them, Chhabi and Rina suddenly found that their sister Swapna was not with them. They heard the rumour that the bailey bridge was collapsed. “We later found the body of our sister Swapna in an intersection of three roads. She was lying dead on two other bodies,” Chhabi said. Several other persons, including local shoppers, said that they heard the rumour of bridge collapse. None of them, however, could give any information how the rumour took birth.
Johnny Das, husband of dead Rahi Das, said that he was returning holding the hand of his wife. But they were separated when the chaos began. “Rahi and her mother fell on the road. They both were killed being stampeded by thousands of people.” After the incident, hundreds of pairs of torn sandals, shoes and different other things were seen scattered on the road. MP of Narayanganj -5 Selim Osman visited the spot after the incident and expressed his deep sorrow over the death.
Narayanganj Additional Superintendent of Police Md Jakaria, however, denied the allegations of insufficient preventive measures and said that the authorities were asking the devotees not to throng the site of the accident.
