Ashish Ranjan
Indore Temple Tragedy: Thursday, the canopy of a stepwell collapsed at a temple in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, killing as many as 35 people. On Ram Navami, the stepwell roof at the Beleshwar Mahadev temple could not support the weight of a large throng.
“In total, 35 people have died, one person is missing, and 14 people have been rescued. Two people have returned home safely after receiving treatment, and a search operation is underway to locate the missing,” said Indore Collector Ilayaraja T, as reported by the news agency ANI.
“The 18-hour rescue operation began at approximately 12:30 p.m. on Thursday and is ongoing,” he added.The temple is located in Sneh Nagar, one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Indore, and is managed by a private trust. Sources have said the tragedy could have been averted had the Indore Municipal Corporation acted on the complaints filed by residents.
In April 2022, obtained a copy of a municipal notice sent to the Beleshwar Mahadev temple’s trust in response to locals’ allegations that the temple was built on a stepwell in an encroached park. The municipal body had planned to demolish the well’s cover, but changed its mind after being warned by the trust that doing so would offend religious sensibilities.
On Ram Navami, a havan was performed on the concrete slab atop the stepwell, which also served as the temple’s platform. The concrete slab could not support the weight of 30 to 40 individuals, resulting in devotees falling into the 40-foot-deep stepwell.
Rescue operations are being conducted by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams.Shivraj Singh Chouhan, chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, announced 5 lakh in compensation for the victims’ families and 50,000 for those injured in the freak accident.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a conversation with Mr. Chouhan to assess the situation.
The Prime Minister tweeted, “Extremely distressed by the tragedy in Indore. Spoke with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and received an update on the situation.
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The State Government is spearheading rescue and relief efforts at a rapid pace. My prayers are with all those affected and their families.”The Beleshwar Mahadev temple was built roughly four decades after the stepwell was covered.
