E-Paper
Crowd mgmt a long pending problem at Bankey Bihari temple
Additional director general of police (ADG), Agra Zone, Rajeev Krishna admitted that it was high time some concrete steps were taken towards a strategy to monitor the ever increasing flow of devotees at this temple, given the limited options because of narrow lanes leading to the temple having inadequate space.
Agra The death of two devotees on overcrowded Bankey Bihari Temple in Vrindavan has yet again exposed mismanagement, specially on occasions when devotees flood the venue.
The Yamuna Express Way has shortened the distance for residents of NCR (national capital region) and huge turnout of visitors is seen on weekends and holidays.
The incident that took place on intervening night of Friday and Saturday occurred when officials including the district magistrate, SSP and municipal commissioner were present on the temple premises keeping in view the expected crowd on Janmashtami celebrated with fervour after a gap of two years of pandemic.
Additional director general of police (ADG), Agra Zone, Rajeev Krishna admitted that it was high time some concrete steps were taken towards a strategy to monitor the ever increasing flow of devotees at this temple, given the limited options because of narrow lanes leading to the temple having inadequate space.
“A probe has been ordered into the incident which claimed two lives due to suffocation. Best efforts were made and officials were present to manage the affairs yet the unfortunate incident took place,” he said.
“Two people were suffocated to death while five others who fainted were hospitalized. Three out of these five are still under treatment while two have been discharged,” he said.
“We have interacted with officials in Mathura, devotees who faced trouble and also the ‘sevayat’ (priest) in the temple and sought suggestions for streamlining movement of devotees,” he said.
The temple opens and closes throughout the day with timing specified for ‘darshan’. However, it was a special occasion last night because of Mangla Aarti after Janmashtami celebrations, so devotees had gathered in large numbers.
ABTPM take
National president of Akhil Bharat Teerth Purohit Mahasabha (ABTPM) Mahesh Pathak had been president of the management committee of Bankey Bihari Temple about two decades ago and maintains that there are limitations in finding solution to the issue of crowd pressure.
“With the pandemic receding this year, there was huge turnout after two years in Mathura and Vrindavan and according to a rough estimate there were 2.75 to 3 crores devotees in the twin religious cities on Janmashtami this time,” he said.
“Narrow lanes amidst the old market area leading to the temple leave limited option for entry and exit. There is heavy deployment of central forces but often their effectiveness is found short of requirement,” he said.
“This is not for the first time that such a situation arose. It was suggested earlier to broaden the road leading to the temple by acquiring old constrictions alongside or to shift the idol (temple) to some open area with ample space for parking but nothing concrete could materialize,” he said.
It is notable that affairs at Bankey Behari Temple are monitored by a judicial officer presiding over the munsif/magistrate Court in Mathura. There are nominated and elected representatives in the temple management committee.
Time and again, video have gone viral of infighting between ‘Sevayat’ (priests) over VIP darshan provided to special guests and there are frequent incidents of scuffles between devotees and the local priests over varied issues.
Political outburst
The Samajwadi Party media cell, through its official twitter handle, condemned the incident and alleged that Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad had misappropriated funds of 27 crores sanctioned in the name of streamlining the crowd management. It termed the two deaths as an outcome of administrative failure and corruption.
Past tragic incidents at Bankey Bihari Temple
February 12, 2022 – A 65- year- old man died on the stairs of the temple. Police claimed the death was due to ailment.
January 1, 2017 – Two injured in stampede on New Year’s Day
July 21, 2012 – Devotee from Delhi died because of suffocation
August 19, 2012 – Devotees injured because railing broke
September 09, 2012 – Two devotees injured in crowd pressure
April 27, 2009 – Death of devotee from Kanpur due to suffocation.
