2 weeks ago
Kanpur ₹16 Flash Sale Draws Thousands, Turns Chaotic, FIR Filed
A shop in the city of Kanpur wanted to celebrate the owner's birthday.
The owner announced that for just 16 minutes, every piece of clothing would cost only 16 rupees.
Sixteen rupees is a very tiny amount of money for clothes.
The news spread super fast on social media.
So many people rushed to the shop, even before midnight.
The market became extremely crowded and messy, almost like a stampede.
A stampede can be very dangerous because people push and squeeze each other.
Some people fell and got hurt in the rush.
The police came, told everyone to go home, and used gentle force to clear the area.
They also filed an official complaint, called an FIR, against the shop owner and others, and arrested one person.
A ₹16-for-16-minutes flash sale at Alam Mart in Kanpur's Alam Market drew thousands of people on the night of August 15.
The birthday offer for shopkeeper Rais Alam went viral on Instagram, Facebook and local social media accounts.
A stampede-like situation developed with pushing, people running, several falling and getting injured, and vehicles struggling to move through the market.
Police from Anwarganj and nearby stations intervened, using public announcements, videography and mild force to disperse the crowd.
Police registered an FIR against Mohammad Alam, Rais Alam and Salman Alam for disturbing public order and endangering lives; Salman Alam was arrested.
- Who
- Shopkeeper Rais Alam and fellow store operators Mohammad Alam and Salman Alam, thousands of shoppers, and police from Anwarganj and nearby stations.
- What
- A ₹16-for-16-minutes birthday flash sale drew a massive crowd, triggered stampede-like chaos and led to an FIR being registered.
- Where
- Alam Mart at Alam Market in the Anwarganj area of Kanpur.
- When
- Night of August 15, with crowds gathering from around 11 pm for a sale starting at midnight on August 16.
- Why
- The heavily discounted birthday offer went viral on social media, prompting thousands to rush to the market.
Key facts
- Event
- ₹16 flash sale for 16 minutes
- Location
- Alam Mart, Alam Market, Anwarganj, Kanpur
- Date
- Night of August 15; sale from midnight August 16
- Occasion
- Birthday of Alam Mart owner Rais Alam
- Items on offer
- Jeans, shirts, T-shirts, blazers and other fashion items
- FIR against
- Mohammad Alam, Rais Alam, Salman Alam and others
- Allegations
- Disturbing public order and endangering lives
- Arrests
- Salman Alam arrested; police seeking Rais Alam and Mohammad Alam
Quotes
Police sub-inspector on duty
Police officer who filed the complaint
“The crowd had gathered because of the Rs 16 clothing offer promoted on social media, as reported by NDTV.”
NDTV
“An argument broke out between the shop operators, their employees and people in the crowd.”
NDTV
Sources
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