Police step in to control unruly crowd at dance show in UP’s Jhansi, several injured

Several persons were injured after the police used force to disperse an unruly crowd that had gathered to watch a performance by dancers from Russia in the Mauranipur town of Jhansi district in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday night.

A large crowd had gathered to watch the performance, which was held in Mauranipur town located some 75 km from the district headquarters in Jhansi.

Initially animated, the crowd soon turned unruly, breaking down the barricades separating the stage from the audience. Many of them tried to get on to the stage, triggering panic among the performers.

As some from the crowd rushed to the stage, police personnel had to step in to prevent them from doing so. The increasingly unruly behaviour of the crowd jeopardised the safety of both the dancers and the crew members, a police officer said.

Working with private security personnel hired for the event, the police charged the crowd with batons, dispersing them and triggering a mini-stampede of sorts at the venue. As they attempted to run out of the venue amid the chaos, many in the crowd fell down.

The performance and related events were immediately cancelled and a few among those injured in the melee were treated at the local health centre and at the Jhansi Medical Hospital.

The programme, held under the banner of “jalvihar mahotsav”, is a highly anticipated annual event organised by the Mauranipur Nagar Palika and is usually attended by a large number of people from neighbouring areas.

The police had expected trouble this time, a senior officer said.

The organisers were explicitly told not to hold a dance event because it could potentially lead to unruly crowd behaviour, Rajesh S, senior superintendent of police (SSP), said. The advice was conveyed to the organisers during a meeting with the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) and the circle officer (CO) a week earlier.