Stampede in Vrindavan temple, four injured

Four pilgrims were injured when a heavy rush led to a stampede in the famous Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan today.

Four pilgrims were injured when a heavy rush led to a stampede in the famous Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan Sunday afternoon.

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Police said all four were out of danger and the situation was well under control.

An old woman, who was trampled upon, is now recovering in a local hospital while the others were discharged after first aid.

Sunday was the last day of 'Purushottam Mas' (an extra month added to the Hindu calender every fourth year) and therefore the unexpected rush.

Media persons in Vrindavan blamed the new system of barricading in the temple. "Everyone wants to somehow cross the barriers and force his way ahead in the queue to get a good 'darshan' of the deity, and this leads to such avoidable stampede-like situations," said Kunj Bihari Sharma, a local journalist.

Music maestro Acharya Jaimini told IANS: "The whole system has collapsed. Now they are trying out new experiments. It would have been better if the temple managers had visited Tirupati and some other famous southern temples to see how crowds are controlled. But they have installed horizontal railings so thoughtlessly. The queues should actually start from outside the temple, a good distance away, and not inside the temple premises."

Of the scores of temples, the Bankey Bihari temple is the most visited and famous in Vrindavan.