A day of celebration turned into a scene of horror yesterday as a catastrophic stampede claimed the lives of at least 115 pilgrims near the Ratangarh Mata Temple in Datia district. The tragedy occurred on a long concrete bridge over the Sindh River, where thousands of devotees had gathered to offer prayers on the final day of Navratri.According to eyewitnesses and local authorities, the chaos began when a rumor spread through the massive crowd that the bridge was about to collapse after being hit by a heavy vehicle. In a desperate bid to escape, thousands of people began charging toward the ends of the narrow bridge. In the ensuing crush, many victims—mostly women and children—were trampled to death, while scores of others jumped off the bridge into the rain-swollen Sindh River in a frantic attempt to save themselves.
The Madhya Pradesh state government has ordered a high-level judicial inquiry into the incident. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed deep grief and announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹1.5 lakh for the kin of the deceased. Meanwhile, a state-wide mourning has been declared as the administration struggles to identify the bodies and provide medical aid to the over 100 people currently hospitalized in Datia and Gwalior.
