Ujjain temple stampede: Several injured as crowd management fails amid VIP visit

Several people, including women and children, were injured in a stampede-like situation at Mahakaleshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain.

Devotees thronged to the temple along with the VIPs, including CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and former chief minister Uma Bharti. The crowd soon turned uncontrollable as crowd management became difficult due to the presence of VIPs.

Several people could be seen pushing and jostling at the temple gate eventually leading to the stampede-like situation. A video of the incident shows even policemen being overpowered while some devotees also engaged in physical violence.

Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, opened last month for devotees who had received at least one shot of the Covid-19 vaccine or carried a negative RTPCR report. The administration has put a cap of 3,500 visitors to the temple between 6 am and 8 pm.