Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): BJP’s former minister Kusum Singh Mahdele strongly condemned the ’Rudraksh distribution’ conducted by the famous storyteller Pandit Pradeep Mishra at Kubereshwar Dham in Madhya Pradesh’s Sehore.
The veteran took to her official X handle and wrote, “Katha vaachak Pradeep Mishra ji. Kyon itne haadse karwa rahe ho bhai. Logon ko dharm ke prati unmaadi mat banao. Dharm se logon ka gyaan badhao ... .Storyteller Pradeep Mishra Ji, why are you causing these many accidents to happen? Don’t turn people into religious fanatics. Use religion to increase people’s knowledge.”
She further questioned, “Tumhaare rudraksh baantne se punya mil raha hai ya hatyaayein ho rahi hain, haadse ho rahe hain. Band karo yeh rudraksh baantna!....Are your Rudraksha distributions earning you virtue or causing deaths and accidents? Stop distributing these Rudrakshas!”
"The government should put a stop to the Rudraksha distribution in Sehore, prevent such accidents, and take action against Pradeep Mishra," she concluded.
Angry, people demand action
Not just the politician, citizens are also angry over the deaths, accidents and injuries caused to the devotees during the religious procession, along with long and troubling traffic jams.
Criticising the mishaps, citizens and netizens demand FIR against Pradeep Mishra and suspension of Sehore Collector and Superintendent of Police.
The matter has gotten more serious this year, as stampedes and deaths had been reported at Kubeshwar Dham in 2024 and 2023 also.
Deaths in 2025
Notably, this year, as many as seven deaths have been reported this year, in 3 days.
On Tuesday, a stampede broke out during the distribution of rudrakshas at the Dham, resulting in death of two women. The next day, 3 more devotees died due to health complications (Wednesday). On Thursday, two more devotees lost their lives to heart attacks.
Deaths in previous years
Around five deaths were reported during Kubereshwar Dham's Kanwar Yatra in past 2 years, along with several devotees injured. Also, Indore-Bhopal Highway was in similar state in last year.
No action taken till date!
However, no action has been taken on the storyteller and Sehore administration till date.
