Indore temple tragedy: Bulldozers demolish illegal construction days after mishap

Municipal authorities in Indore reportedly began demolishing alleged illegal construction at the city's Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple days after an area of the temple collapsed, killing 36 people, on Thursday (Ram Navami). The action was initiated following orders by Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Over five bulldozers reached the temple while a large contingent of municipal and police officials was also deployed there.

• During the Ram Navami celebrations, the slab built over a stepwell of the temple collapsed, killing 36 persons and injuring several others.
• The structure was an unlawful construction, and the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) had designated it for demolition last year but was unable to proceed due to alleged opposition from temple management.
• Following the tragedy, authorities were heavily criticized for ignoring residents' concerns.

On Sunday, CM Chouhan reportedly held a virtual conference with the district collectors and instructed them to check whether any traditional ancient wells and stepwells have been closed without filling and prepare a list. He ordered action against the responsible officer/employee for allowing such illegal construction over these wells. Chouhan also asked officials to close all open boreholes and act against concerned proprietors.

Meanwhile, the Indore district administration also issued an order under Section 144 of the CrPC to locate and remove all stepwells from encroachment in response to the CM's directives, NDTV reported. A note of the stepwell's location and owner, along with its picture and field survey number, will also be prepared. The IMC has also decided to survey 629 water bodies in Indore.

On Thursday, a Ram Navami havan was conducted on a concrete platform covering a stepwell that served as the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple's base. According to reports, the concrete slab was unable to endure the weight of as many as 50 people, causing devotees to fall into the 40-foot-deep stepwell. Notably, the temple was built nearly 40 years after the stepwell was sealed.

Following this disaster, CM Chouhan announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased. For injured persons, a Rs. 50,000 aid was announced. MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra stated that the government had ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Following the Indore tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his sincere condolences, saying, "Extremely pained by the mishap in Indore. Spoke to CM Shivraj Chouhan Ji and took an update on the situation." "The state government is spearheading rescue and relief work at a quick pace. My prayers with all those affected and their families," Modi wrote on Twitter.

Stepwells are ponds or large wells with corridors of steps descending to the water level. They are common in western India, defining the region's subterranean architecture and serving as a primary source of water for the people there from the 7th to the 19th centuries.