Nainadevi Incident

Nine-year-old Gurpratap and his mother Renu belonging to Shimlapuri here died in the stampede caused at the Naina Devi temple this afternoon. A pall of gloom engulfed the Guru Angad Dev colony in Shimlapuri as the news of the tragedy reached here late in the evening.Gurdeep Singh, who was injured in the incident told his relatives over the phone about the death of his wife and son. Two Mullanpur residents were also reported to be injured in the stampede. Reports said many Ludhiana district residents were victims in the incident. They were yet to be identified.
The relatives of a large number of devotees at Naina Devi temple faced a major problem due to the jamming of the mobile phone network. People remained on tenterhooks, trying to get in touch with their near and dear ones. Caught in the melee at the Naina Devi temple, the devotees frantically called their family members but failed to get connected due to a large number of phone calls blocking the network.Even the helpline numbers released by Himachal Pradesh government fail to get connected due to the problem. As soon as the reports of devotees killed in the stampede poured in, thousands of people started calling each other to enquire about the well-being of their near and dear ones. The problem of poor network continued till the evening.“My mother fainted when she came across the news strip on TV channels as our brother Manoj Kumar was to reach the temple today on foot. Manoj left home six days ago”, said his brother Lalit Kumar, owner of a brick kiln in Mansa. “My mohter's heart sank as the mobile phone of my brother went out of reach. She was immediaately rushed to a doctor. Manoj called at home in evening and apprised of his well being”, said the relatives of Manoj.He said that 12 youth including his brother left for Naina Devi on foot from Sangrur, Mansa and Patiala. “The truck carrying the ration was ahead of them and they were about to enter in the temple today however, they delayed the entry due as one of them fell ill”, said Rimpy, one of the devotees among the group. The group members said that there were three groups from Sangrur, Patiala and Ludhiana that were walking together at the shrine but they failed to contact each other due to the network jam. The stampede left hundreds crying for medical attention. Injured pilgrims were left to fend for themselves. Teams of doctors and paramedics from Shimla and Una reached late in the afternoon.

Only local shopkeepers and other pilgrims lent a helping hand to the injured in distress and relatives of the deceased. "I pulled out two men and a boy from the commotion. Since there were no stretchers available, victims all the way cried for help", said Naveen, a devotee from Sangrur.

The nearest hospital in Bilaspur is 70 km away and there is only a government primary health centre near the temple. “There was no stretcher to carry the victims of tragedy and even the seriously injured could be given just first aid,” he said.

People were seen carrying injured on their shoulders and in private cars. Government officials and medical aid came much later, said another rescuer, Rohit. The bodies were brought to Anandpur Sahib civil hospital to for post- mortem examinations.

The temple where lakhs of devotees arrive every year, the government should have to adopt a pro-active approach and must have foreseen such tragedy, said Sandeep Mittal (65), who had come from Pathankot.

To reach the hospital at Bilaspur as one has to drive on mountainous roads and tracks. The hospital at Anandpur Sahib too is ill- equipped to deal with such a tragedy, said devotees. People were seen carrying serious devotees in a haphazard manner amidst chaos on road and traffic jams on bumpy roads.

A farm labourer killed his wife and later committed suicide here today.

The body of Jagdish Singh (46) , who recently sold his land and was engaged in farm labour, was found hanging from a tree early today.

Reports said Jagdish Singh who suspected his wife of having an affair with a villager killed her with a spade in the presence of his two daughters and a son.

The children are aged between 10 and 16.Two elder daughters of the couple are married. One of the daughters,Seema ,told the police her parents often had fights.

On the night of the crime,she said they were sleeping when they heard their parents shouting at each other.They saw their father trying to strangle their mother Sunita (45).

However, her mother managed to free herself and was trying to escape when Jagdish Singh caught hold of her and and hit her several times with a spade, resulting in her death.

She said her father then ran out of the house.The children raised the alarm. Villagers later found Jagdish Singh’s body.

The couple’s only son, Sukha, is mentally challenged.Their father had sold the land for his treatment.

Haryana Governor A.R. Kidwai and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda have expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incident that took place near Naina Devi Temple in Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh in which about 145 devotees were killed today. In separate condolence messages, Dr Kidwai and Hooda expressed their heartfelt sympathy to the family members of the deceased.

In New Delhi, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee expressed deep shock and sorrow at the loss of lives in the stampede. BJP President Rajnath Singh, while expressing grief at the incident, said he had called on Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal to get a brief about the incident and directed him to take all necessary steps to assuage the suffering of the affected people.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has announced a relief of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of the devotees who died in the Naina Devi temple stampede. He has also instructed the administration to provide treatment to the injured free of cost besides monetary help.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal has asked Youth Akali Dal workers to rush to Nangal and Aanandpur to help the injured.