What led to stampede at Goa's Lairai Devi temple? Six people killed; collector, SP shunted out – 5 points to know
Hours after the incident, the state government ordered the transfer of five senior officials, including the North Goa collector and the superintendent of police.
Here are the key updates from the Goa temple stampede that has caught national attention.
The stampede occurred around 3 am on Saturday at the Sree Lairai Devi temple in Shirgaon village, which is roughly 40 km from Panaji. The chaos broke out when thousands of devotees packed into the narrow lanes leading to the temple for the annual festival, overwhelming the area and triggering panic.
Lairai Devi temple President, Dinanath Gaonkar, hinted that chaos ensued after one devotee touched a light bulb with his cane stick, got an electric shock, and fell onto others nearby, according to a news agency ANI report.
'People in the crowd were pushing each other to get ahead in the crowd... Many of us villagers tried to stop them and resolve the issue. But these people were just not ready to listen to us. During this, some people went to a shop here, during which one person's beth (cane stick) touched a bulb, and he suffered an electric shock. He fell on other people, and that's how the stampede started,' ANI quoted Gaonkar as saying.
Six persons including two women were killed and more than 70 sustained injuries after the stampede. Five of them were on ventilator support, while the remaining were in a specially-created emergency ward at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC). Among the injured, ten patients are reported to be in critical condition and are under observation at Goa Medical College near Panaji. (PTI)
Approximately 50,000 to 70,000 devotees, or Dhonds (followers of Lairai Devi goddess) had gathered for the procession, Lairai Devi temple President told PTI.
Director General of Police Alok Kumar, said that the devotees were standing on a slope, and 50 people fell on it, confining the stampede to that spot.
Earlier in the day, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said a magisterial inquiry will be instituted to investigate the incident.
The Goa government transferred District Collector Sneha Gitte, Superintendent of Police (North) Akshat Kaushal, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Bicholim) Jivba Dalvi, Deputy Collector (Bicholim) Bhimnath Khorjuvekar and Police Inspector Dinesh Gadekar with immediate effect, hours after the stampede.
First Published: 3 May 2025, 07:41 PM IST
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