Barabanki Temple Stampede: Two Dead After Electrocution
A tragic incident occurred at the Awsaneshwar Mahadev Temple in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday, 28 July. Two devotees died and nineteen others were injured after an electric wire, damaged by a monkey, fell onto a tin shed where they were sheltering.
The incident took place during the early hours of the morning, on the third Monday of the Sawan month, a period that sees a large influx of devotees visiting the temple for Jalabhishek.
One deceased was identified as 22-year-old Prashant from Mubarakpura village; the identity of the second victim is still being ascertained. District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi stated that the old wire was damaged by monkeys and caused the electrocution.
A police team was already present at the temple due to the expected large crowd and helped to control the situation following the incident. A magisterial inquiry has been initiated following this incident, which occurred just hours after a separate stampede at a temple in Haridwar.