A full three days after the incident, officials are still clueless about how the stampede was triggered. The most frequently offered explanation is that rumours of a landslide triggered the stampede.
"There are many possibilities. These are some of the versions I have heard," begins Executive Officer R K Thakur.
"The first one is the landslide rumour theory. Then, some say, somebody spotted a pickpocket and in trying to fend him off, started a melee, triggering the stampede. The landslide rumour is highly likely because it was raining at that time. Now, this is something I am hearing for the first time. But according to an age-old belief, pilgrims set some stones on top of each other and say they have built a 'house' in the holy place. There are a lot of monkeys all along the way and they might have tipped some of these 'houses'. Coupled with the heavy showers, there is a possibility that rumours of a landslide could have been triggered," he said.
But 18-year-old Gurminder Singh is convinced he knows how it happened. Loitering around the place where the stampede happened, searching for his lost bag, Singh claimed he saw how the stampede was triggered.
"I was here yesterday too. Some five youngsters, who were in the same group, started arguing amongst themselves and this led to a brawl among them. As the fighting intensified they started pushing other pilgrims too and in the rush, people were pushed into an oncoming group, triggering a stampede to get clear.
"I was close to a shed and I climbed on top of the shed, but lost my bag in the melee. All my friends have gone back home. I had my only other pair of clothes in that bag. I will go back only after I get it," said Singh, who came to the temple to pray after he was fired from his job as a cleaner, as the owner of the eatery was incurring losses.
Image: Gurminder Singh, who hurt his leg as the stampede broke out, claimed a fight within an unruly group of youngsters sparked the stampede
Also read: 2008 may be most disastrous year ever!
Advertisement
