A stampede occurred during a Raksha Bandhan celebration organized by Bareilly mayor Umesh Gautam and his son Parth Gautam at the Bareilly Club ground on Thursday. The incident resulted in the death of a 45-year-old woman and injuries to three others. Emergency services were called to the scene to assist the victims, but details regarding their conditions have not yet been released.
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SSP Bareilly Anurag Arya told TOI, “We were not informed about the event, and as soon as the tip-off came, adequate police force and a circle officer were sent to manage the crowd. Madhu’s brother, Anesh Singh, said she had gone to the event with several women from their neighbourhood. “Adequate security and crowd-management arrangements had not been made for such a large gathering which led to my sister’s death,” he said.
We have not received any formal complaint in the matter. TOI contacted mayor Umesh Gautam, who is from BJP, for his response, but he could not be reached. Here are more Raksha Bandhan wishes , Bhadra kaal and Shubh Muhurat from The Times of India. Download the TOI App.
Organisers had invited nearly 20,000 women and promised gifts and food.
Eyewitnesses said some women rushed towards a bus carrying sarees for distribution after noticing that it was unattended, triggering the stampede. The victim, identified as Madhu Singh, wife of former serviceman Bhagwan Singh, was critically injured in the commotion and died while being taken to Mission Hospital, which is run by the mayor. The event, organised by Yuva Sewak Sangh and Parth Gautam Foundation, began at 10am and drew women from Bareilly and surrounding tehsils to tie rakhis on the mayor and his son. Around 3pm, a commotion broke out in one part of the ground. Announcements from the stage asking people to remain patient and cooperate did not immediately bring the situation under control.