2 min readBhopalFeb 10, 2026 09:58 PM IST
A 70-year-old woman was killed and six others were injured when a crowd suddenly surged during a religious event in Dabra town of Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district on Tuesday morning, officials said.
The incident took place near the Dabra stadium during a Kalash Yatra organised in connection with the inauguration of the Navgrah Temple in Dabra.
Gwalior Range Inspector General Arvind Saxena said a large number of women had assembled at the site for the distribution of kalash, or sacred pots, when the crowd surged suddenly and moved forward.
“During this, suddenly, entry was given to some women through one gate, because of which a large group formed at that point and pushing and jostling began among the crowd,” Saxena said.
A video from the time of the incident has surfaced, showing that as soon as the gate was opened, the crowd became uncontrollable. Several women who tried to rush to the gate fell and had to be pulled up from the ground, where they were under danger of being trampled on. Eyewitnesses said the gathering had grown unusually large and that pushing and jostling among women near the distribution area disrupted the arrangements moments before the incident.
“In that scuffle, a woman named Kalawati Batham, aged about 60 years, died. One other woman has been admitted to a hospital, and her condition is said to be stable. Another woman and a girl have been admitted to Apil Hospital. This is the information available so far. Four other women sustained minor injuries and were given primary treatment at Dabra Hospital.”
Police are currently probing the arrangements and lapses that led to the sudden surge of the crowd.
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According to the district administration, the Kalash Yatra itself later proceeded along the designated route and reached the temple without further disruption. Officials said the situation in the area is now under control, and additional arrangements have been put in place to prevent a recurrence.
