By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: On Monday night, a large crowd of devotees gathered at the ISKCON temple in Patna to celebrate Janmashtami 2024. A significant number of Krishna devotees flocked to the temple, eager for a glimpse of Lord Krishna. The situation quickly escalated as devotees began pushing and shoving at the temple gate, causing the situation to spiral out of control. The police were forced to use lathicharge to manage the crowd, resulting in a brief period of chaos.
The temple premises, both inside and outside, were completely packed with devotees. As the crowd surged towards the gate, pushing and shoving ensued, raising fears of a stampede or other unfortunate incidents. Some devotees, struggling for breath, had to stand aside, while the police force on duty found themselves overwhelmed by the sheer number of people.
The situation worsened as many devotees were knocked to the ground and injured in the ensuing commotion. Despite the temple already being packed to capacity, a large crowd had gathered outside, eager to enter. In response to the deteriorating situation, the police resorted to lathicharge, dispersing the crowd from the temple gate and evacuating people from inside the temple.
The surge of devotees was so overwhelming that the initial police force proved insufficient. Additional officers were called in from Kotwali police station and the police line to restore order. It took considerable effort to control the situation, with barricades placed at the gate to manage the crowd. Unfortunately, many women were injured in the chaos, having been caught in the jostling.
