Anandpur Sahib, August 3
The relatives of a large number of devotees at Naina Devi temple faced a major problem due to the jamming of the mobile phone network. People remained on tenterhooks, trying to get in touch with their near and dear ones. Caught in the melee at the Naina Devi temple, the devotees frantically called their family members but failed to get connected due to a large number of phone calls blocking the network.
Even the helpline numbers released by Himachal Pradesh government fail to get connected due to the problem. As soon as the reports of devotees killed in the stampede poured in, thousands of people started calling each other to enquire about the well-being of their near and dear ones. The problem of poor network continued till the evening.
“My mother fainted when she came across the news strip on TV channels as our brother Manoj Kumar was to reach the temple today on foot. Manoj left home six days ago”, said his brother Lalit Kumar, owner of a brick kiln in Mansa. “My mohter's heart sank as the mobile
phone of my brother went out of reach. She was immediaately rushed to a doctor. Manoj called at home in evening and apprised of his well being”, said the relatives of Manoj.
He said that 12 youth including his brother left for Naina Devi on foot from Sangrur, Mansa and Patiala. “The truck carrying the ration was ahead of them and they were about to enter in the temple today however, they delayed the entry due as one of them fell ill”, said Rimpy, one of the devotees among the group. The group members said that there were three groups from Sangrur, Patiala and Ludhiana that were walking together at the shrine but they failed to contact each other due to the network jam.
