The incident took place on the staircases leading up to the temple
Digital Desk: A stampede at the Mansa Devi Temple in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, has resulted in the death of 7 people and injuries to 28 others. The accident on the staircases leading up to the temple during the holy month of Sawan, when thousands of devotees gather at pilgrimage sites across the region.
The stampede was triggered, by a panic due to rumours of an electric shock danger. According to Pramendra Singh Dobal, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Haridwar, there was misinformation that there was a danger of electrocution that spread panic among the people running to the fateful stampede, “The police reached the site immediately and began rescue operations. Around 35 injured people were rushed to the hospital, and sadly, seven deaths have been confirmed,” he said.
Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey of Garhwal Division, said that the temple had an unusually large crowd that had entered the temple early in the morning. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local police were on relentless overdrive in providing relief, and he is on top of the situation.
Visuals from the site show a scene of devastation, with injured devotees being carried into ambulances and receiving treatment in hospitals. One survivor, a pilgrim from Bihar, shared that the crowd surged suddenly, and in the scramble, he was knocked down and fractured his hand.
The temple, a key site for Shiva devotees and Kanwariyas collecting holy water from the Ganga, draws thousands each year. This tragedy has cast a shadow over the religious celebrations and posed much needed responses to issues that concern control and security on high-traffic pilgrimages.
Further investigations are ongoing, and more details are expected soon.
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