Ayodhya: Thousands of devotees broke police barriers to descend at the Ram Mandir to get a glimpse of the deity, after the temple doors were opened Tuesday for the general public in Ayodhya.
Lines of vehicles were diverted while devotees were barred from walking on the stretch leading to the Ram temple. Trucks carried barricades from one place to another to ensure smooth movement of the sea of faithful.
The road leading to the Ayodhya Dham junction railway station was closed, with people being asked to show tickets for accessing the route to board their trains.
As there were no visible signs of improvement, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flew to Ayodhya to check the crowd control measures put in place by the administration. He did an aerial survey of the temple premises before landing in Ayodhya.
आज श्री अयोध्या धाम में श्रीराम जन्मभूमि मंदिर परिसर का स्थलीय निरीक्षण किया।
इस अवसर पर संबंधित अधिकारियों को पूज्य साधु-संतों व श्रद्धालुओं हेतु प्रभु श्री राम लला के सुलभ एवं सहज दर्शन के साथ ही सभी आवश्यक व्यवस्थाएं सुचारू रूप से संचालित करने हेतु आवश्यक दिशा-निर्देश भी दिए। pic.twitter.com/QpnQLJKCgg
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) January 23, 2024
Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad and Special DG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar were present inside the ‘Garbha Griha’ of the Ram temple to monitor the crowds and to ensure that nobody was hurt in the rush of devotees.
Inside the temple premises, announcements were made constantly via speakers by the police to ensure continuous exit of the devotees. Outside the temple, long queues of devotees stood for hours hoping to catch a glimpse of Lord Ram.
Many devotees have been waiting from the evening of 22 January since the consecration ceremony took place at the shrine. A few of them fainted amid the chaos and were rushed to a nearby hospital.
“I have come from Bengaluru for the darshan of Lord Ram. I have been waiting since last night. I guess, it will now take me another few hours but I am determined to wait till I catch a glimpse,” Ganesh, a devotee, said, adding that he will not leave Ayodhya before taking a darshan.
Around 30,000 security personnel, including those from the CRPF, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the local police, were deployed within the town on the roads leading to the temple.
A total of five lakh devotees took darshan of Ram Lalla on Tuesday, UP govt, information director, Shishir Singh said.
“The situation has been very chaotic. We are trying to ensure that nobody is hurt and that there is no stampede like situation. The devotees are not listening and we have instructions to not use force. We have also got additional police personnel from bordering districts of Uttar Pradesh,” a senior police officer told ThePrint.
According to the BJP sources, a number of VIPs had also left without taking darshan because of the “chaotic” situation.
“The situation was so chaotic that walking inside the temple was a challenge and many were seen jostling for space. There was no clear crowd management plan. If someone attends the ceremony, they would naturally want to do the darshan too,” said the source.
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‘Postpone visit to temple town’
Given the chaotic situation, senior BJP leaders have requested devotees to postpone their visits while senior BJP leaders, too, called off their plans to reach Ayodhya.
BJP chief J.P. Nadda’s programme to visit Ayodhya on Wednesday has also been cancelled for now, according to a BJP leader.
“His plans are being rescheduled. Had he gone for the darshan, a lot of roads and security would have been diverted, something Nadda doesn’t want. Senior BJP leaders won’t be visiting Ayodhya for darshan in the next few days,” the party leader said.
Meanwhile, the Ram temple authorities have also urged devotees to be “patient” and not rush to get a glimpse of Ram Lalla. “I assure all devotees that they will be able to take darshan of Ram Lalla. The darshan has been going on continuously. I appeal to the devotees to remain patient,” Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra chief priest Satyendra Das told the media.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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