Haridwar, Uttarakhand—July 27: A stampede at the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar on Sunday morning killed six people and hurt many more. The event took place on the busy walking path to the well-known hilltop shrine, which was full of worshippers.
Vinay Shankar Pandey, the Garhwal Division Commissioner, confirmed the deaths and said he was on his way to the scene. As investigations begin, we are waiting for a full report on the event.
Local authorities say that the stampede, which happened around 8:30 AM, was caused by panic after an overhead power line reportedly broke and fell on a crowded part of the walkway. Mayur Dixit, the Haridwar District Magistrate, confirmed the deaths and said that two people are in critical condition and have been sent to higher medical centers. At least one person got burned from electrocution, and the rest died from injuries they got in the crush. Others are getting treatment at the district hospital.
Ritesh Saha, who is in charge of the city police station, said, “The route was very crowded when the electric line broke. The sight of the wire falling caused immediate panic, and a desperate scramble to get away led to the stampede.”
Pictures from the scene showed injured people being quickly taken to hospitals in ambulances, while police and emergency services set up large-scale rescue and relief operations. Authorities are now trying to figure out who the dead people are, and their bodies have been sent for autopsies.
Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, posted on X to express his deep sadness over the tragedy and promised to help in any way he could. He said that SDRF, the local police, and other rescue teams are on the scene and working, and that he is in constant contact with the local government and keeping a close eye on the situation.
A lot of people go to the Mansa Devi temple, which is a major pilgrimage site. This is especially true during the holy month of Shravan, which is happening right now. This terrible event has once again brought to light the important issue of how to control crowds at big religious events in India. After this sad event, officials should look over the temple’s security measures.