Stampedes in Ayodhya during Ram Navami celebrations; 1 killed, over a dozen injured

About 10 lakh devotees thronged Ayodhya on the occasion of Ram Navami to take a dip in the Saryu.

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Ayodhya: One woman died and more than a dozen others were injured on Wednesday in two separate incidents of stampede in Ayodhya on the occasion of Ram Navami.

About 10 lakh devotees thronged the holy city to take a dip in the Saryu today.

The Uttar Pradesh Police, however, claimed said that the woman died of heart attack.

The devotees started swarming the temple town since early morning for a holy dip in the Saryu and offer prayer at temples on the occasion of Ram Navami.

The first incident took place in Tulsi Udyan area near the Ramjanmabhoomi shrine, in which Dulari Devi (65) reportedly died.

Her husband Sadhu Ram, a resident of Naugarh area of Siddharthnagar district, said, "We were returning after offering puja at Tulsi Udyan when we got trapped in the middle of a huge crowd. My wife fell down and got trapped under the rampaging crowd."

"We kept crying for help, but nobody came to our rescue. By the time some people from the local administration reached us and took her to a hospital, she was already dead," he added.

Faizabad Senior Superintendent of Police Anant Dev, however, claimed that the woman died of heart attack.

Another injured woman, Lakhpati Devi (70) of Sultanpur district, was admitted to the district hospital in a critical condition.

In another stampede in Bandha Tiraha area, more than a dozen devotees were injured, officials said.

(With Agency inputs)