A stampede during TikToker Ansar Mahmood’s—better known as Mr Patlu—mehndi ceremony at Faraz Cricket Ground on Daska Road in Sialkot on Saturday evening left one man dead and several people injured, police said. Mr Patlu ki shaadi festivities had already been running for several days, with videos and photos shared on social media, when the crush unfolded after prize announcements drew a large crowd.
Police registered a case against Mr Patlu and others and arrested six people. Officers said Mr Patlu and other named suspects remain at large, and efforts to arrest them continue. The first information report (FIR)—the written police complaint that starts a criminal case—lists nine named accused, including Mr Patlu, and 45 unknown accused. Sections cited include culpable homicide, violation of government orders, vandalism, provocation and illegal assembly.
How the crush began
According to the FIR text, the mehndi was under way on Saturday evening when Mr Patlu came on stage and told everyone to enter the ground at once. People surged inside; in the resulting stampede, a man named Aqeel died at the scene.
Police say Mr Patlu’s team had used social media to invite the public with the lure of prizes worth crores of rupees, including motorcycles and a car. Officers told reporters the advertised package included Rs2 crore in cash, one car, 50 motorcycles, mobile phones and other costly gifts. Crowds arrived well before the scheduled time from Sialkot and from Gujranwala, Gujrat, Wazirabad, Mandi Bahauddin and Narowal.
Rescue 1122 and other emergency teams reached the ground soon after and moved the injured to hospital. A widely shared video shows a dense crowd outside the stadium suddenly trying to push in while security staff block the path, use batons and force people back. That footage has not been independently verified.
What witnesses and organisers say
Muhammad Rafiq, who was at Faraz Sports Stadium and was himself injured, said people believed whoever entered first would get a prize and those left outside would miss out. He said he had come from Gujranwala by motorcycle with a friend. Loudspeakers, he recalled, announced that prizes would be given after 9pm, and the crowd kept growing as evening fell. Inside and outside the ground, he said, it was so packed that only heads were visible.
Abdul Rashid of Zafarwal, injured while shielding his young son, alleged that organisers and security had no clear plan. Loudspeakers, he said, first told people prizes would come in a few hours, then that the programme was cancelled and they should leave—feeding anger. When everyone was told at once to enter, the stampede began; a baton charge then sent people running back, causing a second crush in which several were trampled, he alleged.
After the incident, Mr Patlu posted a video asking people to go home because his wedding programmes had been postponed. He also claimed he had fallen at home a day earlier, been hurt, and would not join any event. His social media team said he had wanted to give gifts to fans and guests on a happy occasion, but crowd control slipped beyond their hands after gates opened early and security was short.
Official permission and the investigation
The local administration said it had issued a no-objection certificate (NOC)—formal written permission—for Mr Patlu to hold the mehndi at Faraz Sports Stadium on Daska Road, then cancelled it before the event for alleged breaches of conditions. A district administration spokesperson said the NOC had been for a private function inside four walls on Daska Road, including a spiritual gathering, and was withdrawn before the programme started.
Police say arrests of the remaining accused continue. Mr Patlu is from Syede Wali village in Pasrur tehsil of Sialkot district and now lives in a private housing society in Sialkot. The tiktoker Mr Patlu wedding gathering that was meant to celebrate with public gifts has become a criminal inquiry over crowd safety and an illegal assembly.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Recent days before Saturday: Mr Patlu ki shaadi events continued for several days, with ceremony clips shared on his social accounts.
- Day before the mehndi (per his claim): Mr Patlu said in a later video that he fell at home and was injured.
- Saturday evening: Mehndi at Faraz Cricket Ground on Daska Road; police say a stage announcement to enter at once triggered a stampede; Aqeel died; Rescue 1122 evacuated the injured.
- After the crush: Mr Patlu posted that programmes were postponed and asked people to return home; his team blamed early gate opening and short security.
- Since the incident: Police filed an FIR naming nine accused and 45 unknowns, arrested six people, and said Mr Patlu and other suspects are still being sought; the district administration said the venue NOC had already been cancelled.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Sialkot mein Mr Patlu ki shaadi ki mehndi par bheer itni barh gayi ke bhagdhar machi aur Aqeel naam ke ek shakhs ki maut ho gayi. Log is liye aye the ke do crore rupay, gaari aur motorcyclon jaise inaam milenge. Police ne FIR darj ki, chhe log pakre gaye hain, aur Mr Patlu abhi mufarir bataye jaate hain. Badi public gatherings mein inaamon ka lalach aur kamzor security aam logon ke liye khatarnak sabit ho sakti hai.
