A near stampede-like situation was witnessed at Mumbai's famous Lalbaugcha Raja on the second day of the 10 day Ganesh Festival. Huge crowd of devotees pushed each other and caused a near stampede like situation as they struggled to catch a glimpse of Lord Ganesha on Wednesday. Mumbai police was nowhere to be seen in a video which is going viral on social media that shows people nearly getting crushed. Lalbaugcha Raja is one of the oldest and the most popular mandals in the metropolis attracting around one crore devotees including celebrities and politicians following which tight arrangements have been made.
The history of the Lalbaugcha Raja is quite famous as it is the popular Ganesh idol of Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, located at Putlabai Chawl, a place of worship founded in 1934. The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganapati idol has been taken care of by the Kambli family for over eight decades. Lalbaughcha Raja offers two types of queue for the devotees, one is Mukh darshan while the other is Charan Sparsh line or Navas darshan line wherein devotees can go up to the stage and touch Lord Ganesha's feet. Ganesh Chaturthi also known as Vinayak Chaturthi, is a ten-day festival. The 10-day festival that starts on the fourth day of the Hindu lunisolar calendar month 'Bhadrapada', started on September 19 this year.