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NEW DELHI -?At least five women were killed while many other devotees sustained injuries in a stampede at wee hours early Friday at a religious center in the northern Indian state of Harayana, a senior police official said.
"The five were killed on the spot while the injured have been admitted to a local hospital. The stampede broke out during the foundation day function of the religious sect Dera Sacha Sauda at its center in the state's Sirsa district late last night at 2:00 am, following rumors of a poisonous snake roaming around. The deceased are yet to be identified," the official said.
A probe has been ordered into the incident and as to why the religious sect function was organized at such odd hours, he said.
At least 65 people were killed in early March at a religious and charity event in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.