Kanpur shop offers Rs 16 shopping bonanza, thousands turn up and chaos follows
An offer promising clothes for just Rs 16 brought thousands to a shop in Kanpur late at night. The crowd grew so large that police had to step in to bring the situation under control.
It was supposed to be a 16-minute-long shopping bonanza. Instead, a Rs 16 offer at a Kanpur hosiery shop brought thousands onto the street, triggered a stampede-like situation and ended with police dispersing the crowd.
The incident took place on the night of August 15. The shop, located in the busy Alam Market, belongs to Rais Alam, whose son was celebrating his birthday.
To mark the occasion, Alam advertised an unusual offer on social media. Starting at 11.59 pm, customers would have 16 minutes to buy any ready-made garment, including suits, jeans and shirts, for just Rs 16.
The offer quickly spread online, attracting people from nearby areas and eventually from several kilometres away. By around 11.30 pm, thousands had gathered outside the shop, with crowds spilling onto the road and people jostling to get closer to the store.
As the rush intensified, chaos broke out outside the shop. Several people fell while trying to move through the crowd, and others ran, leaving their footwear scattered across the road. Around a dozen people suffered minor injuries in the melee.
Police from different stations were rushed to the spot. ACP Manjay Singh also arrived with additional personnel as the crowd continued to swell.
With the situation becoming difficult to control, police made announcements asking people to disperse and used batons to push the crowd back. Officers eventually cleared the area and conducted a march through the locality, urging people to return home.
By then, Alam had locked his shop and left the scene. His brother, who was found outside the store, was taken to the police station for questioning.
Police said the offer had been made without the required permission and had created a law-and-order situation. Authorities are now preparing legal action against Alam for creating a stampede-like situation.
(With inputs from Ranjay Singh)
It was supposed to be a 16-minute-long shopping bonanza. Instead, a Rs 16 offer at a Kanpur hosiery shop brought thousands onto the street, triggered a stampede-like situation and ended with police dispersing the crowd.
The incident took place on the night of August 15. The shop, located in the busy Alam Market, belongs to Rais Alam, whose son was celebrating his birthday.
To mark the occasion, Alam advertised an unusual offer on social media. Starting at 11.59 pm, customers would have 16 minutes to buy any ready-made garment, including suits, jeans and shirts, for just Rs 16.
The offer quickly spread online, attracting people from nearby areas and eventually from several kilometres away. By around 11.30 pm, thousands had gathered outside the shop, with crowds spilling onto the road and people jostling to get closer to the store.
As the rush intensified, chaos broke out outside the shop. Several people fell while trying to move through the crowd, and others ran, leaving their footwear scattered across the road. Around a dozen people suffered minor injuries in the melee.
Police from different stations were rushed to the spot. ACP Manjay Singh also arrived with additional personnel as the crowd continued to swell.
With the situation becoming difficult to control, police made announcements asking people to disperse and used batons to push the crowd back. Officers eventually cleared the area and conducted a march through the locality, urging people to return home.
By then, Alam had locked his shop and left the scene. His brother, who was found outside the store, was taken to the police station for questioning.
Police said the offer had been made without the required permission and had created a law-and-order situation. Authorities are now preparing legal action against Alam for creating a stampede-like situation.
(With inputs from Ranjay Singh)
It was supposed to be a 16-minute-long shopping bonanza. Instead, a Rs 16 offer at a Kanpur hosiery shop brought thousands onto the street, triggered a stampede-like situation and ended with police dispersing the crowd.
The incident took place on the night of August 15. The shop, located in the busy Alam Market, belongs to Rais Alam, whose son was celebrating his birthday.
To mark the occasion, Alam advertised an unusual offer on social media. Starting at 11.59 pm, customers would have 16 minutes to buy any ready-made garment, including suits, jeans and shirts, for just Rs 16.
The offer quickly spread online, attracting people from nearby areas and eventually from several kilometres away. By around 11.30 pm, thousands had gathered outside the shop, with crowds spilling onto the road and people jostling to get closer to the store.
As the rush intensified, chaos broke out outside the shop. Several people fell while trying to move through the crowd, and others ran, leaving their footwear scattered across the road. Around a dozen people suffered minor injuries in the melee.
Police from different stations were rushed to the spot. ACP Manjay Singh also arrived with additional personnel as the crowd continued to swell.
With the situation becoming difficult to control, police made announcements asking people to disperse and used batons to push the crowd back. Officers eventually cleared the area and conducted a march through the locality, urging people to return home.
By then, Alam had locked his shop and left the scene. His brother, who was found outside the store, was taken to the police station for questioning.
Police said the offer had been made without the required permission and had created a law-and-order situation. Authorities are now preparing legal action against Alam for creating a stampede-like situation.
(With inputs from Ranjay Singh)
