Three Injured in Shivneri Fort Crowd Incident on Shiv Jayanti

Three people were injured in a crowd incident at Shivneri Fort in Pune district, Maharashtra, early Thursday morning during celebrations marking the birth anniversary of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The event unfolded around 3:30 a.m. near the Meena Darwaja entrance as thousands of devotees gathered for the annual Shiv Jayanti observances at the fort, located in Junnar tehsil. Police officials reported that the chaos began when a group carrying ceremonial Shiv Jyot flames and saffron flags descended the stairs amid heavy congestion. A push from the crowd caused several people to fall, resulting in injuries to three individuals, including leg fractures for at least one. Authorities clarified that the situation stemmed from a devotee slipping on the stairs, which led to others tumbling behind, rather than a full-scale stampede.

Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill addressed the incident, stating, "One of the devotees slipped, and due to this, more people fell on the stairs, and three of them got injured. There is no stampede." He noted that large crowds had been arriving since Wednesday evening for darshan at the Shiv Janmasthan atop the fort, with...