Bhopal, September 28 (IANS) A sacred ritual at the revered Tara Mai Devi temple of Prithvipur tehsil of Niwari district turned into anarchy on Sunday when a herd of bees attacked the devotees, triggers a stampede and seriously injured nine people.
All the victims are reported to be a resident of Indore. The incident occurred during a havan (holy fire ritual) on Sunday morning, which was in the Hiltop temple in Niwari district.
Eyewitnesses said that as the rituals moved forward, the smoke from the ‘havan’ appeared to stimulate the herd near the bees, which then landed on the assembly. Devotees tried to escape as nervousness, resulting in stampede.
The injured were immediately taken to Community Health Senator in Prithvipur. Seeing the seriousness of their injuries, all the injured persons were sent to Jhansi Medical College for advanced treatment.
Among the injured are babulala (45), his mother gomti bai (55), jamuna prasad (60), anita (38), umesh (40), kartik (8), gori (8), and 13-yaar-ald nitin.
The condition of Gomti Bai is reported to be important. According to a police officer, the family first visited Gwalior and then visited Tara Mai Temple to offer prayers.
After completing the rituals of ‘Havan Pooja’, the priest sat down to eat Prasadam.
Suddenly, bees attacked him from all directions. They could not call their veins nor could they understand what was happening.
Police officials also said that the temple is surrounded by dense forest and the Orkha region is known for its large bee population.
The ritual is believed to have a hunt of the nest of the bees near the smoke nearby, causing unexpected attacks.
The Tara Mai Devi Temple is a popular pilgrimage site, especially among the devotees of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The incident has expressed concern about security measures during major religious ceremonies, especially in forest areas.
Officials are expected to review the situation and issue advice to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Meanwhile, the temple management has regretted the incident and assured cooperation with the local administration in ensuring the safety of the devotees.
Medical teams in Jhansi are monitoring the condition of the injured, while the police have started questioning under the circumstances around the stampede.
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SKTR/PGH