Barabanki: A stampede outside the Awsaneshwar Mahadev Temple in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, in the early hours of Monday claimed the lives of at least two persons. Several persons received electric shocks as a result of an electric line falling on a tin shack. On the third Monday of the Sawan month, a sizable congregation of devotees had assembled for darshan.
Prashant, a 22-year-old resident of Mubarakpura village within the jurisdiction of Lonikatra police station, was recognized as one of the dead. The identity of the other individual is yet unknown. While receiving care at the Trivediganj Community Health Center, both passed away.
#WATCH | Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh | Barabanki DM Shashank Tripathi says, "Devotees came to Ausaneshwar Mahadev temple to offer prayers on Monday of the 'saavan' month. The electric wire broke and fell on the shed. Around 19 people were injured by electric shock. The injured were… pic.twitter.com/Vitn7dzVih
— ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2025
Local witnesses claim that the sad event happened at approximately three in the morning when a sizable group of devotees had gathered at the Haidergarh temple for the jalabhishek ceremony.
According to District Magistrate Shashank Tripathi, an old electric cable that had been damaged by monkeys was the source of the electric current.
“On the third Monday of Sawan, devotees had assembled here for darshan. Monkeys fell onto the tin shed as several of them leaped onto the overhead electrical lines. Consequently, some 19 persons were shocked by electricity. Other than that, everything is in control,” Tripathi said.
When a monkey sprang onto an overhead electrical line, it broke and fell into the tin structure that covered a portion of the temple grounds, according to an eyewitness. The devotees were agitated and terrified as a result of the live wire’s quick electric current spreading through the metal construction. At the time of the event, police were already at the shrine. An inquiry is in progress.
Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, acknowledged the tragedy and gave the government instructions to give emergency assistance and guarantee the wounded received the right medical attention.
In the last two days, there have been two similar incidents. A stampede at the Mansa Devi shrine in Haridwar earlier on Sunday killed eight people and wounded thirty more after devotees were alarmed over reports of an electric current near the staircase entrance.
Pramendra Singh Dobal, the SSP for Haridwar, said that the turmoil started when a large number of pilgrims were rushing to the temple on top of the hill. The weekend throng had drawn a sizable audience to the temple, which is located more than 500 feet up in the Shivalik hills. A magistrate’s investigation into the event has been ordered by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
