At least seven people, including four women, died in a stampede in Tamil Nadu’s Trichy district on Sunday during a temple festival.
According to police, the incident took place around 11am during the ‘Chitra Pournami’ festival at the Karuppasamy temple at Muthayampalayam village, Trichy.
“It was ‘Pidikkaasu’, an event of collecting coins from the priest before the Lord Karuppasamy idol in the temple. As too many people tried to get ‘Pidikkaasu’ the stampede occurred,” said a police official.
Officials said the temple event is being conducted since 2004 and this is the first time a stampede has happened.
“After a security breach in an EVM strongroom at Madurai, security was beefed up in Trichy too. Therefore, police presence was limited here in the temple festival,” said M Kasinathan, one of the devotees.
Trichy superintendent of police Zia ul Haque has reached the spot along with other senior officials. “The temple lies about 200 meters away from the main road. As rumours spread that the holy coins event is set to finish, devotees rushed to the temple. Though there were proper barricades, there was a rush. Seven people died in the incident,” Zia ul Haque said.