Mumbai: A 20-year-old pharmacy student from Nagpur was severely injured after being caught in a stampede in Mulund on Friday.
The incident occurred at the entrance to the Maharashtra State Pharmacy Council office building at 8.45 am. A large crowd of young degree holders and their parents had assembled outside the office since 8 a.m. so that the candidates could register for their pharmacy licence.
“The crowd grew beyond 400 by 8.30 a.m., which was much more than the office staff had expected. Around 8.45 a.m., ladies were allowed to enter the building to reduce the number at the gate. Soon it began to rain and the entire crowd surged in through the gate to protect their documents from being damaged, resulting in the gate collapse,” Balasaheb Ghavte, inspector, Mulund station, said.
One of the candidates, Aditya Shingere, was caught under the gate and his ear was sliced off as the gate fell on him. He was also trampled upon by the people. He was rushed to Fortis Hospital in Mulund.
Dr. Sandeep Gore, HoD, emergency and trauma, Fortis Hospital, said, “The patient was admitted at 9.45 a.m. The broken gate had fallen on him, due to which his ear was cut off although his hearing is intact. His friends managed to retrieve the ear which will be reattached. The patient has also suffered minor lung injuries as the crowd had walked over him. He is now under observation.”
Mr. Ghavte said, “We have started a token system outside the Maharashtra State Pharmacy Council to avoid such an incident in the future. If the council office had informed the police sooner, Friday’s incident could have been avoided.”
Mr. Shingere had travelled to Mumbai from Nagpur to meet the deadline for offline registration by August 7, after which the process will be conducted online.