A major accident took place at Deviramma Betta in Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka when an unexpectedly large number of devotees came to seek blessings from Goddess Deviramma.
More than 20 devotees including a young boy were said to have suffered serious injuries after an iron railing installed near the hilltop broke suddenly due to huge crowd and panic among devotees as several people lost their balance and fell on top of each other.
The accident took place at Deviramma Hill which is part of Chandradrona mountain range in Chikkamagaluru district and thousands of devotees come here during annual Deviramma Jatre. This year the number of devotees was reportedly more than expected with lakhs of people coming here to participate in religious celebrations and seek goddess’s blessings.
As per initial information the iron railing was installed near the upper part of Deviramma Hill to help devotees move around and give support along the route. As a large number of people came in the area, the railing reportedly broke under pressure of crowd suddenly.
Many devotees lost their balance as a result and in the commotion people fell on each other (more than 20 injured). Things turned serious because accident took place at top portion of hill where movement was already difficult due to heavy gathering of pilgrims.
A young boy was reportedly among those injured (adding to the concern of devotees and emergency staff). Several people were injured and needed immediate medical help so arrangements were made to take them to hospitals. Injured devotees were shifted to Malle Gowda Government Hospital in Chikkamagaluru for treatment.
Their injuries were said to be serious but hospital authorities have not confirmed medical condition of each person and number of critical cases as yet.
The rescue operation was difficult as Deviramma Betta is in the Chandradrona mountain range and it is physically challenging to reach the top of the hill. Fire and emergency services personnel along with police officers rushed to help the injured devotees after the accident took place.
Rescue men were seen carrying injured people down from the upper section of the hill so that they could be taken to hospitals. It was their work which ensured those who had injuries got medical attention quickly.
The unexpected accident also brought crowd management and safety arrangements at the popular religious destination under scanner.
Lakhs of devotees were said to have arrived for Deviramma Jatre (devotee procession) along with lakhs of people moving along hill route. Large religious gatherings on elevated locations require planning, barricading, strong railings, emergency access routes and medical facilities etc.
The collapse of iron railing has made us realize that temporary as well as permanent safety structures should be inspected before large crowds gather there.
Deviramma Jatre is an important religious event for devotees of Chikkamagaluru and surrounding areas. Pilgrims go to the hill every year to worship Goddess Deviramma in the challenging way. Religious significance of the event draws devotees from different parts of Karnataka as well as outside Karnataka. But this time unexpected heavy turnout seems to have put more pressure on arrangements made for pilgrimage.
It has also highlighted the authorities’ responsibilities in managing large scale religious gatherings (particularly at hilltop locations where emergency response is difficult) and that railings, pathways and crowd-control barriers must be strong enough to withstand heavy movement so as to prevent similar accidents.
Rescue and medical teams continued working but attention was on the injured devotees. More details were expected about how many people were injured, how serious their injuries were and what caused the railing to collapse. Authorities will have to investigate what happened and whether more safety measures are needed.
What was supposed to be a spiritual experience for thousands of devotees turned into a nightmare when the railing reportedly gave way at Deviramma Betta. Accident reminds us crowd safety needs to be top priority during major religious festivals (when large number of pilgrims gather at difficult to access hilltop locations).
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