A source from famed Mumbai rapper Divine's team recounts how crowd went out of control at Mithibai fest last night, leaving eight injured
The stampede was caused by overcrowding at the concert of rapper Divine
A music concert at Mithibai College's BMS department festival turned ugly when a stampede on Thursday night left eight people injured. A source from the rapper Divine's team said, "There were around 3,000 people inside the venue, and it was packed when Divine started performing."
Around eight people got injured in the stampede and were immediately taken to the nearby Cooper hospital. One person is reported to have suffered rib fractures and is currently in the ICU, in critical condition. Two others are in the ICU, while a fourth is stable and under observation at the hospital ward.
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rapper Divine
The incident took place during Mithibai College's annual fest, Colosseum, organised by the Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) department. It was day one of the three-day festival, and a huge crowd had gathered there to watch a concert by popular rapper Divine [with tracks such as Kaam 25, Paitra to his credit]. The performance was scheduled at Jashoda Rang Mandir (JRM) ground, which has an estimated capacity of around 1,000.
Divine's team says
"He [Divine] had to keep telling them to keep away from the barricades as the space was full to the brim. But there were many more people waiting outside, and it seemed that the college gave out more passes than the space could accommodate," said a source from the rapper's team.
Divine in concert
He added, "The [fest's] organisation wasn't up to mark, and things got out of control. Divine had just played one track when he decided to stop the show. The cops managed to disperse the crowd soon enough, though. We are keeping in touch with the college to check on the kids who were taken to the hospital."
College says
While some alleged that the college has sold too many passes, a student from the managing committee of the festival countered: "It was not exactly a stampede. The programme started around 8 pm. By 9 pm, some people tried to enter without passes. Some of them started creating a ruckus by pushing, and that is when some of them fell. The programme was called off immediately."
Grabs of the stampede from a video circulating on social media
Rajpal Hande, college principal, said, "Colosseum being a popular event, large crowds from all colleges all over the city and even the general public were trying to force their way in, which was prevented by the security. During this chaos, some individuals suffered minor injuries, they were treated and discharged immediately. Three are under observation, though not serious."
Krishna Hegde, convenor of the Mithibai Ex-Students Association, said, "Since it was an inter-collegiate event, students of other colleges were also present and the crowd was huge. We have spoken to the authorities and they informed us that things are under control and the students were sent home."
An official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's disaster cell said, "The incident was first reported to us around 10.30 pm. It was an open ground and after the gate crashed, students received severe injuries."
Doctorspeak
Doctors from Cooper hospital said two women and six men, between the ages of 20 and 24 years, were brought to the hospital with injuries, mainly in the chest region due to the stampede-like situation. "Three patients are currently admitted in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) and one of them has suffered a rib fracture. Five patients have taken discharge against medical advice to be admitted at nearby private hospital. As per the case history, patients have suffered injuries to chest and limbs due to the stampede that occurred at the college. All of them are currently stable," said the on-duty Administrative Medical Officer at Cooper hospital.
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