3 min readRanchiUpdated: Mar 30, 2026 04:46 PM IST
A 21-year-old youth was killed after being accidentally stabbed during a knife stunt amid weapon display rituals at the International Ram Navami procession in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district Sunday.
The deceased, identified as Prince Kumar, a resident of Silwar village, had joined the annual International Ram Navami procession, known for large gatherings of devotees and traditional displays involving swords, sticks and other weapons. A video of the incident shows the chaotic moments leading up to the fatal injury.
According to police, Prince was among many youths participating in or standing close to groups performing traditional weapon stunts. An official from Muffasil police station said a video shows one devotee wielding two knives while performing a stunt in a crowded section of the procession.
Police said Prince was rushed to Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital in Hazaribagh (SBMCH), where doctors declared him dead.
Hazaribagh SDPO Amit Anand confirmed the death and said no arrests had been made so far. “The incident took place during the procession, which continued till early morning today. Due to the ongoing event, we could not immediately proceed with the investigation. However, we will now examine the case in detail,” he said.
Anand added that a similar incident had occurred two days earlier, in which another youth of the same age was stabbed during an altercation. “In that case, the accused are currently absconding. We are taking both incidents seriously and will ensure that the culprits are arrested soon,” he said.
Hospital authorities said the exact cause of death will be confirmed in the autopsy, though doctors indicated the injuries were consistent with a stab wound leading to heavy blood loss.
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“The history suggests a stab injury. The death appears to have occurred due to excessive bleeding but the exact cause will be clear only after the postmortem,” Dr Abhishek, associated with the trauma centre at Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital, said.
He said the hospital has conducted postmortems on two young men linked to these stabbing incidents, both around the same age.
“We have performed postmortems on two bodies. Both were in their early twenties. As compared to the previous years, this year the fewer cases of such incidents have come,” he said, referring to recent cases reported in the district.
