E-Paper
Stampede-like situation at self-styled godman Dhirendra Shastri's event in Thane
Visuals from the event showed chaotic scenes with people gathered in huge numbers and security deployed there using sticks to manage the crowd.
A stampede-like situation occurred during an event of self-styled godman Dhirendra Krishna Shastri in Mankoli Naka area of Maharashtra's Thane on Saturday.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Visuals from the event showed chaotic scenes with people gathered in huge numbers and security deployed there using sticks to manage the crowd.
Dhirendra Kirshna Shastri is also known as Bageshwar Dham Sarkar and is the ‘peethadhishwar’ of Bageshwar Dham, a religious Hindu site in Gada village of Madhya Pradesh's Chattarpur district.
Dhirendra Shastri has gained popularity over the last few years and is known for telling his followers personal details about them, what his critics say is just tricking people using mentalism.
Last month, a stampede took place during a religious event of another self-style godman - Pandit Pradeep Mishra - at Shatabdi Nagar in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut.
Additional Director General of Meerut Zone Dhruv Kant Thakur had said that no deaths or injuries were reported in the incident.
Hathras stampede
In July last year, about 121 people, mostly women and children, were killed in a stampede at Phulrai village under Sikandra Rau police station limits of UP's Hathras district on July 2.
The stampede took place during a satsang addressed by self-styled godman Surajpal alias Bhole Baba, a resident of Kasganj district in UP.
The crowd had rushed to touch Baba’s feet as he was leaving the venue. People fell over each other to reach him, resulting in stampede. Around 2.5 lakh people had gathered for the event.
Also Read | Hathras Stampede: Godman Bhole Baba not named in charge sheet against 11 accused
Police investigating the case had blamed organisers of the event for mismanagement that led to the stampede. Against the permitted gathering of 80,000, the crowd exceeded to over 2.50 lakh.
Bhole Baba is a former UP police staffer who worked with the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) for 18 years and took voluntary retirement in 1990, when he was posted in Etah, in order to pursue spirituality.
