In a tragic incident, at least ten women devotees from West Bengal suffered burn injuries while they were waiting in a queue for a prasad outside Vrindavan's famous Gauri Gopal Ashram. According to the information released, the incident happened on Friday (November 1) as the group of women devotees were waiting for the khichdi prasad to be served to them outside the ashram. However, the person responsible for serving the prasad slipped, and the hot food was splashed onto the women standing nearby.
The officials said that while two of the women were in critical condition and referred to a hospital in Agra, the other eight with minor injuries were discharged after initial first-aid treatment.
About the incident
Speaking of the details of the incident, the Chief Medical Superintendent of the district hospital, Dr Vandana Agrawal, mentioned that the ten women were part of a devotee group who were on a trip to Vrindavan.
"On Friday morning, when all of them reached the Gauri Gopal Ashram located in Parikrama Marg Sant Colony, the khichdi prasad was being distributed outside. The devotees queued up to receive the Prasad. But as they were standing, a person responsible for serving it mistakenly slipped the utensil, and thus after the hot food was splashed onto the women standing nearby," Dr. Agrawal said.
"The incident caused panic among the devotees, and the 10 injured women were rushed to the hospital, she added.
Two women suffered critical injuries
According to hospital authorities, of the total of ten patients admitted, two suffered critical injuries, and they were immediately referred to SN Medical College in Agra. While the remaining were discharged after initial treatment only.
Further, speaking of the incident, Aniruddhacharya Maharaj, the founder of Gauri Gopal Ashram, stated that the prasad is being distributed daily to a large number of devotees. "Friday's incident occurred when an employee of the ashram carrying the Khichdi slipped," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
