Stampede at army recruitment rally, two injured, thousands from UP, Bihar, MP, Chattisgarh throng Pithoragarh as school closed for three days
Stampede at army recruitment rally, two injured, thousands from UP, Bihar, MP, Chattisgarh throng Pithoragarh as school closed for three days
B.D.Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, Nov 21
A stampede occurred at a recruitment rally of territorial army here in which two participants were injured as more than 20,000 youth from Uttara Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh converged at the sleepy town of Pithoragarh.
The Pithoragarh district administration and local social organisations joined hands to provide succour to the youths who had turned for the recruitment of 350 posts of territorial army.
Two youth were injured, one of them seriously, when the mob became uncontrolled at the recruitment ground on the morning on November 20 as crowd became uncontrolled and gate crashed into the recruitment ground.”
“To tackle the sudden rush of youth to this district, we have arranged over 400 buses and 250 jeeps for their transportation from Pithoragarh to Tanakpur and over 50 vehicles to take them to recruitment ground where they were lodged,” said Vinod Goswami, District Magistrate, Pithoragarh.
According to DM, the uncontrolled mob reached the district as the recruitment rally at Danapur was cancelled resulting into desperate youth from Bihar, Odisha Chattisgarh and MP reaching Pithoragarh to get recruited in army.
” We have made sufficient arrangements for the youth,” said the DM.
“We have distributed food made of over 2500 kg of rice and 100 kg of pulses to over 9000 youths free of cost, only yesterday. The people are also donating money and materials for our ‘langer’ (free kitchen) that would continue till November 26, the day process of recruitment conclude,” said Govind Singh Mahar, coordinator of ‘Jag Utha Pahar’, a social organisation and a senior BJP leader.
Other organisations who came forwards for help of youths are the local RSS unit, Ghanshyam Oli Child Welfare Society, The Scholars Academy, Mahamaya temple committee, Ex-servicemen Association, and Chemist and Druggist Association of the town.
“Besides these organisations, several residents of town opened their houses for providing food and shelter to the youth who found it difficult to cope with the cold weather conditions,” said G.S. Mahar.
The step was taken after the youth in large number were seen lying in open places and looking for shelter in an already packed small town.”We had appealed to the people to donate food and provide shelter to youth. The people from all walks of life donated generously,” claimed Mahar
The Pithoragarh administration has closed all private and government schools for 3 days from 17 November to 23 November to provide shelter to youth free of cost during their stay in Pithoragarh. “Only yesterday we have sent over 9000 youth by buses to Tanakpur from where three special trains have also been arranged to take these youth to their respective places,” said Pithoragarh District Magistrate.
