Devotees defy COVID regulations by flocking to Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar Temple
Ujjain: On Monday (July 26), a stampede-like situation erupted at the renowned Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, and videos of the incident have since surfaced. On the first Monday of the holy month of Shravan, worshipers flocked to the temple, throwing caution to the wind. Despite coronavirus-related limitations, the rush of pilgrims to enter for prayers caused one of the barricade gates to be destroyed, according to an official.
A video of the incident went viral on social media.
#WATCH | A stampede-like situation was seen at Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh yesterday pic.twitter.com/yxJxIYkAU5
— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2021
After being closed in April due to the development of COVID, the famed Mahakaleshwar temple reopened for pilgrims on June 28 after an 80-day hiatus.
Around 8:30 a.m., a big crowd attempted to enter the temple compound for darshan, breaking down the barricade at gate number four. “Several people tried to dash towards the main deity after the barricade crumbled,” the temple’s assistant administrator Moolchand Joonwal told PTI. While Joonwal stated that “there was no untoward occurrence,” several media sources reported that several individuals were injured, including women and children.
“Due to the fact that it was the first Monday of the holy month of Shravan, people were permitted to queue for darshan in addition to pre-booking. However, the throng was far larger than we had anticipated “According to Joonwal. According to eyewitnesses, individuals queuing outside the temple violated social distance and other COVID-19 standards.
