A tragic incident occurred early Monday (July 28) at the Awsaneshwar Mahadev Temple in Barabanki, where two devotees died and 19 others were injured in a stampede triggered by an electric shock. The accident took place around 2 AM during heavy footfall on the third Monday of Sawan, a sacred month in the Hindu calendar.
According to initial reports, an overhead electric wire, damaged by monkeys, snapped and fell on a tin shed near the temple premises, causing multiple people to suffer electric shocks. The sudden panic led to a stampede among the devotees gathered for darshan.
District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi confirmed the sequence of events, stating:
“Monkeys had jumped on the overhead wires, damaging them and causing a live wire to fall on the shed. Around 19 people were injured due to electric shock, while two lost their lives. The situation is now under control.”
Relief Measures Announced
The injured were immediately rushed to Trivediganj Community Health Centre, where doctors declared two individuals dead on arrival. The Uttar Pradesh government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident and directed officials to ensure prompt medical treatment for the injured and to review temple safety arrangements.
This tragedy follows closely on the heels of the Haridwar stampede, prompting the government to strengthen crowd and infrastructure management at religious sites during the ongoing Sawan festivities.
