'A devotee slipped': Mansa Devi temple on what led to Haridwar stampede; 6 killed, dozens injured
The chaos, which unfolded early Sunday morning, was reportedly triggered by a rumour of a snapped electric wire. However, officials said the tragedy occurred after a devotee slipped amid heavy crowding on the temple steps.
Mahant Ravindra Puri, president of the Mansa Devi temple trust, said the tragedy was caused when a devotee slipped amid a surge of pilgrims approaching the shrine. 'This is not an incident of electrocution, but there are no indications of such happening...
We will assist the victim families... It happened as a huge crowd gathered here; the police were informed, barricades were put up, but still the crowd came up and someone slipped, due to which the entire incident took place,' Puri told ANI.
The state disaster management Centre confirmed that five people suffered serious injuries, while 23 others received minor wounds in the stampede that occurred around 9 am.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the district hospital to meet the injured and announced compensation for the victims' families — Rs 2 lakh for the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
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'An unfortunate incident has taken place in which six people have died and many others have been injured in a stampede at the Mansa Devi temple due to a rumour... A magisterial inquiry has been ordered, the injured have been shifted to hospital and rescue operations are underway.
.. Strict action will be taken against whoever is found guilty... All possible efforts are being made to help the injured,' Dhami said.
AIIMS Rishikesh director Dr Meenu Singh said that four people are in critical condition after the stampede at Haridwar's Mansa Devi Temple on Sunday morning.
She said that out of the 10 patients currently admitted to AIIMS Rishikesh, two were children.
"The incident took place around 9 am, and patients started coming in around 11 am. So far, 15 patients have been brought here and 4-5 have been sent back because they sustained minor injuries. Out of the 10 patients admitted, two are children. Four are in a critical condition... Treatment of all the patients is underway...," Dr Singh told ANI.
Earlier, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also met the injured and their families at AIIMS Rishikesh.
A magisterial inquiry has been ordered, with Haridwar District Magistrate Mayur Dixit leading the investigation. 'We found through photos and videos that someone spread the rumour that an electric wire had snapped. While looking at the injured or the dead, we did not get any such indication...We will investigate who spread the rumour,' Dixit said.
Crowd management lapses are now under scrutiny. According to Mahant Puri, the Mansa Devi temple can be accessed by ropeway, vehicles, or an old walking route from Har Ki Pauri. Despite police barricades and alerts, the influx of pilgrims overwhelmed the arrangements.
Minister Ganesh Joshi also visited the hospital and said, '14 seriously injured people have been referred to AIIMS Rishikesh and others are being treated at the district hospital.
I have met them and they are fine... The government is providing full support to the victims... It would not be appropriate to draw any conclusion until a detailed investigation is done...'
Eyewitness accounts painted a disturbing picture of the crowd's chaos. One injured man said, 'There are just 20-25 steps before the temple premises, the crowd became uncontrollable... I fell down along with 10 to 12 others... I found three of my family members, but two are still missing...'
The chief minister's Office has confirmed that a detailed review of security and crowd control measures is underway to prevent such incidents in the future.
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