Three people injured after devotee slips on stairs at Shivneri Fort; no stampede, says Pune Rural SP

PUNE: Three people were injured after a devotee slipped on the stairs at the Shiv Janmasthan, on top of the Shivneri Fort in Junnar, where a large crowd had gathered for darshan, Pune Rural SP Sandeep Singh Gill said on Thursday. The SP clarified that there was no stampede at the site and the incident occurred due to a devotee slipping on the stairs, causing the other three devotees to fall.

“…If you look at the Shiv Janmasthan here, on top of the Shivneri Fort in Junnar, a large number of people have been coming here for darshan since yesterday morning, and darshan continued throughout the night…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”, said SP Gill.

#WATCH | Pune, Maharashtra | Pune Rural SP Sandeep Singh Gill says, “…If you look at the Shiv Janmasthan here, on top of the Shivneri Fort in Junnar, a large number of people have been coming here for darshan since yesterday morning and darshan continued throughout the… pic.twitter.com/wF93kbuwVT

— ANI (@ANI) February 19, 2026

The incident highlights the challenges of crowd management at popular religious sites during peak pilgrimage periods. India has witnessed several incidents of stampedes and crowd-related tragedies in recent years, underscoring the need for improved safety protocols, better infrastructure, and effective crowd control measures to prevent such occurrences. (ANI)