ROHRU/SHIMLA, April 27: A Devta ceremony turned tragic in wee hours today when a woman lost her life in an accidental firing during a temple Pran Pratishtha ceremony in Kulgaon temple, about 15 km from Rohru town.
According to initial information, a traditional gun salute was being carried out as part of the ritual when one of the firearms, reportedly handled by some youth, misfired.
Instead of being directed upward into air amidst the crowd , the muzzle accidently turned sideways and struck a woman from the same village at close range. She succumbed to her injuries within minutes.
The incident occurred at a time when a large number of villagers had gathered for the ceremony, which marked the meeting of two local devtas considered brothers. The event had been proceeding peacefully before the mishap.
The villagers pointed out that the SDM didn't deploy security measures in the place to avoid chaos and ambulance didn't arrive in time and it was not available on standby despite having massive crowd at the venue.
Following the incident, the body was taken to Rohru hospital for post-mortem.
However, delays related to police procedures and formalities led to protests by villagers and relatives, who raised slogans against the local administration, including the SDM Rohru, demanding swift action.
Police have taken two youth into custody in connection with the firing. Authorities have initiated an investigation to ascertain the exact circumstances and any lapses in safety measures during the procession.
Local residents described the incident as an unfortunate accident that disrupted an otherwise peaceful religious gathering.
While tensions ran high, no reports of clashes were received. Further action will be taken based on the findings of the ongoing inquiry.
