Daijiworld Media Network – Varanasi

Varanasi, Aug 10: Seven people, including the chief priest of Atma Veereshwar Temple, sustained burn injuries after a fire broke out during an ‘aarti’ in the sanctum sanctorum on Saturday evening.

The incident occurred around 8:00 pm during Shravan Purnima celebrations, when an aarti lamp reportedly came into contact with cotton-based decorations, sparking a blaze that spread rapidly. Nearly 30 devotees were present inside the temple at the time, triggering panic.

Eyewitnesses said the temple, decorated in cotton to symbolise the Amarnath shrine, caught fire within moments of the aarti beginning. “Devotees were evacuated in haste, but many sustained burns,” one witness told.

Locals managed to extinguish the fire by pouring water over the burning cotton. The injured, including two to three children, were first rushed to Kabir Chauraha Divisional Hospital and later referred to a private hospital.

One victim is reported to be in critical condition with around 65 percent burn injuries.