Several people, including women and children, were injured in a stampede-line situation that occurred on Thursday, February 19, after a huge crowd visited the Shivneri Fort in Pune on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's birth anniversary, also known as Shivaji Jayanti.
The incident occurred when a huge crowd, including those who attended festivities and rituals at the historic site in Pune. Some were seen carrying the ceremonial Shiv Jyot. People started gathering since Wednesday night, which has created more rush, leading to congestion.
A video recorded from the top of Shivneri Fort shows a huge crowd of people carrying Shiv Jyot and saffron flags. Moments later, a group of people are seen attempting to escape the overcrowded line by climbing onto the dilapidated structure of the fort, where others were also present.
In a rush to get out, some people can also be seen climbing up with the help of others who had already occupied places in the cracks of the fort walls. Heavy police have been deployed at the site, but have failed to handle the crowd. The situation became more serious when entry and exit became narrow due toa large unexpected crowd, specifically the Hathi Darwaza and Ganesh Darwaza below the Amberkhana, where groups moved forward at the same time, prompting the stampede.
The rescue operation is currently underway with the help of the emergency team, transferring injured people to the nearby hospital for treatment.
However, SP Rural Sandeep Singh Gill denied such reports of a stampede, "No such (stampede) incident occurred... At the Shiv Janmabhoomi at Shivneri Fort here, people have been coming for darshan since yesterday, and the darshan has continued through the night... People were descending in a hurry, and they were also stopped from doing so, but during this time, a boy's foot slipped. As a result, 7-8 people fell on the stairs, and 3 of them sustained injuries to their legs. No stampede occurred."