Six devotees died and 26 others were injured in a stampede at Mansadevi Temple in Haridwar on Sunday morning. The injured were rushed to the hospital.
The administration attributed the stampede to a panic over an electric wire that fell on the temple steps amid the presence of a huge crowd of the devotees.
Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey confirmed six deaths in the stampede. He said the exact cause of the stampede would be known only after a probe into the incident, but officials in the Haridwar district administration claimed that it happened due to the panic over the fall of a livewire on the temple steps breaking away from the pole. It caused panic in the public leading to chaos. “It’s learnt that breaking away of a wire from a electric pole was the main cause of stampede. More details about the incident can be had only after the probe. The injured, who were shifted to a government hospital, are undergoing treatment” said Haridwar District Magistrate Mayur Dixit.
Pandey and the Haridwar district magistrate did not share more details. A district administration official informed that around 28 devotees were injured in the stampede. Later, a statement was issued by the state Disaster Management Department confirming six deaths. Five of the injured were in a critical condition and admitted at AIIMs Rishikesh while 23 others were undergoing medication at two government hospitals in Haridwar.
Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami conveyed his condolences to the deceased devotees and announces ₹2lakh compensation to each the families of each deceased.
In a social media post, Dhami said, “The news of the heartbreaking incident on Mansa Devi Temple steps in Haridwar resulting in the death of six people is extremely saddening. I pray God to grant peace to the souls of the deceased devotees and provide strength to the grieving families to bear their sorrow. The state government will provide an assistance of ₹2 lakh each to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 each to the injured persons.” Dhami also announced a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
According to Pandey, the stampede occurred in the morning when the steps of the Mansa Devi temple, located on the hilltop, were heavily crowded by the devotees. Pandey, who headed to the accident spot from Dehradun, said the real reason for the stampede could be known only after an inquiry. He further informed that the situation was bro7ght under control in a few hours of starting rescue and relief operation by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police and district administration.