President of Larry Devi Temple in Goa on Stamped


Panaji:

Advocate Dinath Gonkar, president of Larry Devi Temple, said on Saturday that the stampede was triggered during Zatra in Srigha when a devotee accidentally touched an electric bulb with his cane rod, received a blow, and collapsed over others in a tight crowd.

Gonkar further mentioned that around 50,000 to 70,000 Dhonds (followers of Larai Devi) had gathered for Zatra.

“About 50,000 to 70,000 Dhonds (followers of Laiirai Devi) were here in Zatra … People in the crowd were pushing each other to move forward in the crowd … Many of us were not ready to stop them and resolve the issue. And thus the stampede started …” Lerry Devi Temple President, Advocate Dinath Gonkar said.

North Goa Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshat Kaushal said on Saturday that we are still trying to determine the exact cause of the stampede incident in Shergao.

Kaushal said that more than 50,000 people were present inside the temple for (Lari) Zatra, and around 400 police officers were on duty. And, he further said that this is the first time such an incident took place on the festival.

Speaking to ANI, North Goa SP Akshat Kaushal said, “We are still trying to determine the exact cause of the incident. However, we have been told that the stampede may be due to the spread of rumors due to some people … The biggest challenge for us was to vacate more than 50,000 people, which were also for 400.”

Earlier, in the day, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited Shergao, where the stampede incident occurred. The incident of stampede occurred at around 4-5 pm on Saturday.

(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is published by a syndicated feed.)


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