Crowd rush over Rs 16-for-16-minute sale triggers chaos in Kanpur market
A social-media promotion offering garments at Rs 16 for 16 minutes drew hundreds to a Kanpur shop, leading to a stampede-like incident and several injuries.
To celebrate his birthday on Aug 16, shopkeeper Raish Alam promoted a Rs 16-for-16-minute garment sale on social platforms, which quickly went viral. The offer attracted a large crowd to his store in Alam Market, Kanpur, causing a traffic jam around the intersection. When the shop was shut, the assembled people began to create a disturbance.
ACP Manjay Singh and police units responded, urging the crowd to leave; after repeated appeals were ignored, officers employed mild force, triggering a stampede-like scramble that resulted in several injuries and scattered slippers. Authorities lodged an FIR at Anwarganj police station naming Alam and two others, and have detained one individual for questioning.
Why it matters
The incident shows how viral promotions can quickly overwhelm public spaces and strain local law-enforcement resources.
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