A tragic incident occurred early in the morning at the Ausaneshwar Mahadev temple in Barabanki, resulting in the deaths of two individuals and injuries to approximately 30 others, including women and children, during a stampede on Monday.

The incident happened around 2 am as a large crowd of devotees gathered for the ‘jalabhishek’ of Lord Shiva on the third Monday of the sacred month of Shravan.

The chaos ensued when an electric wire fell onto the tin shed within the temple, inciting panic among the devotees who began to flee in all directions.

According to district administration officials, a group of monkeys landed on a high-voltage wire, causing it to snap and fall onto the tin shed in the temple area. This incident resulted in an electric current spreading, which incited fear among the attendees, leading to a stampede.

The victims of this unfortunate event included Prashant, a 22-year-old from Mubarakpura, and another unidentified devotee who succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment at the Trivediganj Community Health Centre (CHC).

Ten injured individuals were transported to Trivediganj CHC, with five of them being referred to a district hospital due to the severity of their injuries.

In response to the incident, police arrived promptly at the scene. Ambulances were deployed to transport the injured to nearby health facilities in Haidargarh and Trivediganj. Those in critical condition were subsequently transferred to the district hospital for more comprehensive care.

District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi and Superintendent of Police Arpit Vijayvargiya visited the temple following the incident. They assessed the situation and guaranteed that the injured would receive appropriate medical attention. Officials confirmed that the incident involving the monkeys was likely responsible for the wire’s failure.

Fortunately, the situation stabilized within two hours. Devotees continued their jalabhishek rituals at the temple, with people once again forming orderly lines, while temple management and police maintained vigilant oversight.

Meanwhile, the accident has drawn attention to the temple management, highlighting the safety of the thousands of devotees visiting the temple during Sawan, as well as the need for effective crowd control and power management at the site.