7 devotees killed in stampede during temple ceremony in TN
Tiruchirappalli(TN), Apr 21: A stampede during a local temple festival killed seven devotees and injured ten others near Thuraiyur, about 45 km from here, on Sunday, police said.
The tragedy occurred when hundreds of people gathered for the 'padikasu' (temple coin) distribution ceremony, held as part of annual 'Chithira Pournami' festival, at the 'Karuppasamy' (a rural deity) temple in Muthiampalayam village.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami expressed anguish over the loss of lives in the incident.
While Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the victims, Palaniswami ordered a solatium of Rs one lakh each and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
The stampede occurred when the priest started distributing the coins and a section of devotees surged forward to collect them, police said.
Seven people, including four women, died on the spot while ten others were seriously injured and have been hospitalised, they said.
Distribution of the coins is the main event of the festival, which draws a large number of devotees from in and around the village. Devotees believe keeping the temple coins at home in their cash box will bring prosperity.
A temple official, on condition of anonymity, said there was no effort to control the crowd nor was there enough security personnel to bring the situation under control.
District authorities said the matter was being looked into and action would be taken against those responsible for the mishap.
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Owaisi seeks independent probe into cleric’s death on train, calls it ‘transit-based hate crime’
New Delhi: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has written to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, requesting an independent investigation into the death of Maulana Tousif Raza Mazhari, who allegedly died after being assaulted on a train in Uttar Pradesh on April 26.
In his letter, Owaisi defined the incident as a "transit-based hate crime" and raised concerns about what he called frequent attempts to dismiss such incidents as unintentional.
According to The Observer Post, Mazhari was travelling on Train No. 04314 after attending a religious meeting in Bareilly when the incident occurred.
The Hyderabad MP also demanded financial compensation for the victim’s family and a government job on compassionate grounds for a dependent. He noted that the deceased was the sole breadwinner.
According to the family, Mazhari, an imam and madrasa teacher from Kishanganj, was allegedly assaulted by a group of passengers who accused him of theft. His wife, Tabassum Khatoon, claimed she witnessed part of the incident during a video call, in which he was seen being beaten and dragged despite identifying himself as a teacher.
Police in Bareilly said the case came to light after a body was recovered near railway tracks on April 27. The incident was initially treated as a possible accidental fall. However, following objections raised by the family, officials said further investigation is underway.
The case has drawn reactions from several opposition leaders, including Md Jawaid, Imran Pratapgarhi, and Chandrashekhar Azad. They questioned the initial police version and called for a transparent investigation.
