Chamundi Hill sees overwhelming crowd on Aashada Friday
Thousands of devotees, including the elderly and children, were seen standing in serpentine queues for hours under the sun, many visibly distressed. The devotees who came in for Dharma Darshana at 3.30am had Darshana only after 11am.
The situation was particularly tense at the VIP entrance, where police struggled to manage the rush, and unauthorised entry by non-VIPs led to confusion and congestion. The arrangements drew sharp criticism, with devotees lashing out at authorities for poor planning, lack of basic facilities and inadequate crowd management.
In a dramatic development, city police commissioner Seema Latkar, accompanied by deputy commissioner Lakshmikant Reddy, visited the hilltop and questioned Sri Chamundeshwari Kshetra Development Authority secretary Roopa.
Following mounting reports of mismanagement, DC Reddy conducted an emergency inspection along with senior police officials. He acknowledged the hardships faced by devotees. "By Friday afternoon, nearly 2 lakh devotees gathered, which led to temporary disruption. Those waiting in queues suffered inconvenience, but immediate corrective steps were taken, and the situation was brought under control."
Despite the chaos, darshan continued throughout the day, with many devotees finally able to catch a glimpse of Goddess Chamundeshwari after hours of waiting.
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