Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin gestures as he speaks to community members on his 99th Birthday in Mumbai
Stampede outside home of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, spiritual leader of Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community
He died on Friday and his body had been placed in his home to allow followers to pay their respects
The 102-year-old leader of a Muslim sect lived in Malabar Hill, a wealthy part of the city
He died on Friday and his body had been placed in his home to allow followers to pay their respects
The 102-year-old leader of a Muslim sect lived in Malabar Hill, a wealthy part of the city
At least 18 people died and nearly 50
were injured in a stampede in India's financial capital of Mumbai early
on Saturday as thousands of mourners gathered following the death of
the 102-year-old leader of a Muslim sect.
The
stampede took place outside the home of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin,
the spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community, in Malabar
Hill, a wealthy part of the city, police said.
He died on Friday and his body had been placed in his home to allow followers to pay their respects.
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Stampede: Indian Bohra Muslims take part in the
funeral procession of their spiritual leader Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin
in Mumbai where 18 people were killed
An Indian Muslim woman cries near the body of a
victim killed in a stampede in Mumbai, India. Tens of thousands of
people gathered to mourn the death of the leader
Prayer: The Dawoodi Bohra community participate in the funeral procession in Malabar Hill, a wealthy part of the city of Mumbai
Witnesses said a large crowd of mourners was pressed against the gates of the house at the time of the stampede.
'There
were a lot of people pouring in, and there was not much attention given
by the government and the police, who should have been here and who
should have managed things,' said one man wearing traditional white
flowing Bohra Muslim attire.
Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh said neither police nor organisers had expected such a large number of mourners.
Several
of the injured were released after treatment at nearby hospitals, said a
city official who declined to be named as he was not authorised to
speak to the media.
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Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin died on Friday and
his body had been placed in his home to allow followers to pay their
respects but thousands turned up
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Unexpected: Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal
Singh said neither police nor organisers had expected such a large
number of mourners at the funeral of the leader
Indian Muslims stretch out their hands towards
the body of the head of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community Syedna
Mohammed Burhanuddin during his funeral
Indian Muslims stand together during the funeral
procession of the Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin where there was a
stampede killing 18 people died and injured 50
Muslims line up along a street as they wait for
the funeral procession of their spiritual leader Syedna Mohammed
Burhanuddin in Mumbai
Later on Saturday, tens of
thousands of people lined narrow streets along the route of the funeral
procession as it headed towards a mausoleum in south Mumbai where the
leader will be buried alongside his father.
'People
have come from outside India, and more will keep coming. Everyone was
very fond of him,' said 62-year-old Mumbai-resident Juzer Lokhandwala,
who attended with his family to pay their last respects.
The
origins of the Shia Muslim sect can be traced to Yemen. In India, some
of the largest Bohra Muslim communities live in the western state of
Gujarat, where many are merchants.
The community, widely seen as mostly prosperous and philanthropic, runs a large speciality hospital in Mumbai.
Stampedes
frequently happen at religious sites in India but they are rare in
large cities, such as Mumbai, where there is a greater police presence
to monitor the flow of people.
Last October, about 115 people were killed in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
Indian Bohra Muslim women watch the funeral procession as a large crowd gathered to pay their last respects
Later on Saturday, tens of thousands of people
lined narrow streets along the route of the funeral procession as it
headed towards a mausoleum in south Mumbai where the leader will be
buried
Stampedes frequently happen at religious sites
in India but they are rare in large cities, such as Mumbai, where there
is a greater police presence
Businesses of the Members of Bohri Community are
seen closed in Saddar after the death of their spiritual leader Dr
Syedna Muhammad Burhanuddin
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