A woman died, and 17 devotees were injured when a stage set up for a religious function, attended by singer B Praak, at the Kalkaji temple here, collapsed on Sunday around 12:30 am.
The deceased has been identified as Tina, a resident of Tughlakabad extension.
According to police, a ‘jagran’ (religious function) was organised at the Mahant Parishar of Kalkaji temple on Saturday, and around 1,600 people attended it.
The temple management had hired event planners to organise the jagran. No arrests have been made so far, police sources said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal condoled the death of the woman and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. “The accident that happened last night during a ‘jagran’ at the Kalkaji temple is tragic. A woman has died; may her soul rest in peace. I wish for the speedy recovery of the 17 injured people,” Kejriwal said in a post on ‘X’ in Hindi.”I appeal to the people of Delhi to take special care of safety standards in any kind of big event and make arrangements in such a way that no untoward incident happens,” he added.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (southeast) Rajesh Deo said no prior permission had been granted for the event at the temple. “However, sufficient staff was deployed to maintain law and order. There was a gathering of around 1,500 to 1,600 people at around 12:30 am on Sunday,” he said.”
According to the police, an elevated wooden platform supported by an iron frame was set up near the main stage for the families of the organisers and VIPs. Around 12:30 am, the elevated platform broke right from the middle as it could not bear the weight of the people sitting on it and collapsed, injuring those seated on it and close to it on the ground, the DCP said.
An eye-witness, Varun, said there was a large gathering at the temple as singer B Praak was present. “All of a sudden, the stage collapsed, and those who were sitting close to the stage received injuries. The singer had left by that time,” he said. Another person who was present at the temple said he heard a loud noise and saw people running out.
“It was a stampede-like situation. Everyone was running for their lives. I was outside the temple when I got to know that the stage collapsed and some people received injuries,” he said.
Among those who had gone to attend the function but returned home early because of the huge rush at the temple, 20-year-old Suman Kanojia of Chirag Delhi said, “I went there with a relative at around 10 pm and returned by 11 pm because it was so crowded. We thought of staying there a little longer but thankfully we didn’t.””There was a huge crowd. There were temple volunteers around to manage the crowd but no policemen,” Kanojia said.
Pushpa Singh, 38, of Shahpur Jat too counted her lucky stars. “I went there with another person around 9 pm, and it was overcrowded. Even the parking was full of people. We left around 10:30 pm. I am just thanking my luck that we left before it happened.”
All those injured in the stage collapse were rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centre and the Safdarjung and MAX hospitals by police and the public.”
“The fire brigade was called to the spot, and seventeen people were reported injured. A 45-year-old woman, Tina, was brought dead to MAX hospital,” Deo said, adding that a Delhi Police crime team visited the spot later.
“Tina’s husband works as a vegetable seller, and they have three sons. Her body has been sent for post-mortem,” the officer said.
The condition of all those injured is stated to be stable, he added. An FIR under sections 337, 304A, and 188 of the IPC was registered against the organisers, and further probe into the matter has been launched, the DCP said.
Director of Delhi Fire Services Atul Garg said his department was informed about the incident at 12:45 am. Teams, along with three fire tenders, were rushed to the site. The kirtan stage had collapsed, injuring some people who were rushed to hospitals, he said.
Stressing the need for sound management, singer B Praak expressed disappointment after a stage set up for a religious function at the Kalkaji temple collapsed in the early hours of Sunday. Praak, who performed at the event, shared a video message on his Instagram Story soon after the incident.
“I am very sad and disappointed. This is the first time I saw something like this happen at a place where I was performing, and I’m deeply saddened by it. What happened at Kalkaji Mandir is extremely unfortunate... At Ma Kalkaji Mandir. I hope those who suffered injuries get well soon and are all fine,” said the 37-year-old, known for songs like “Teri Mitti” and “Filhall.”
Nothing is more valuable than life, the singer emphasised, adding that the management at the function tried to control the crowd, but emotions of the devotees were running high.
“Management is very important. They tried to explain it to the crowd and asked them to move back, but it’s your love for the goddess and for me... But we have to be very careful from here on and take utmost care of the children, elderly, and everybody else.
“There is nothing more valuable than life and can never be. We have to be very careful that no one’s life is at risk. I’ll come again when the goddess calls me, but we will have to be very careful. This should have never happened,” Praak added.
