Haridwar, 27 July: So far, six devotees died and 35 people were injured in a stampede due to rumor of electric current on the staircase of Mansa Devi temple situated on a hill in Haridwar on Sunday morning. The injured were admitted to Haridwar District Hospital and the seriously injured have been referred to AIIMS Rishikesh.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the incident and has talked about giving compensation to the deceased dependents and the injured.
The Chief Minister has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. After the incident, Haridwar DM Mayur Dixit and SSP Pramod Dobal reached the hospital to know the condition of the injured and instructed the doctors to provide proper treatment.
Due to the weekend, a huge crowd of devotees had gathered at Mansa temple and other places in the city. On Sunday at 9 am, a huge crowd gathered on the staircase leading to Maa Mansa Devi temple. Even after the Kanwar fair was over, a large number of Kanwariyas and devotees had reached the temple to offer prayer at the temple. Due to the presence of huge crowd on the main staircase walkway of the temple, the rumor of electric current flowing on the staircase, rush and crush broke out among the devotees resulting in killing of six devotees and seriously injuring 35.
The SSP Pramod Dobal said that at around 9 am, the police control room received information about a stampede on the staircase walkway 100 meters below the temple. SDRF and police force reached the spot and with the help of local people, the injured were rescued and taken to the hospital. SSP Dobal said that the stampede situation arose due to the rumor of electric current on the road. A total of 35 injured were brought to the hospital. Out of which six died.
Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey, confirming the death of six people, said that all the injured have been admitted to the district hospital for treatment. He said that the cause of the accident is being investigated. The temple premises have been closed for some time. SDRF and police force are present on the spot.
Government will give two lakhs each to the families of the deceased: Chief Minister
On the Mansa Devi temple accident, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed deep grief over the death of six devotees and directed the officials to provide all possible assistance to the victim families.
Chief Minister Dhami has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the stampede accident. Apart from this, an assistance of two lakh rupees each has also been announced to the families of those killed in the accident and fifty thousand rupees each to the injured.
He said that the state government stands firmly with the bereaved families in this hour of grief.
Chief Minister has also given instructions to thoroughly review the crowd management and security arrangements to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future.
State Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said that five seriously injured devotees have been referred to AIIMS Rishikesh for better medical facilities. Apart from this, 23 other injured devotees are being treated at the District Hospital Haridwar, where all the injured are being provided necessary medical assistance.
The dead and injured have been identified.
Meanwhile, the administration has released the list of people killed and injured in the accident. According to the police, the deceased in the accident have been identified as Aarush son Pankaj alias Pravesh, age 12 years, resident of Sauda Bareilly Uttar Pradesh, Shakal Aev son Bachan, age 18 years, resident of Araria Bihar, Vipin Saini son Raghuveer Saini, age 18 years, resident of Basua Khedi Kashipur, Uttarakhand, Vakil son Bharat Singh, resident of Madam District Barabanki Uttar Pradesh and Shanti Devi wife Rambharose, resident of Badaun, Uttar Pradesh.
On receiving the information of the incident, the President of Maa Mansa Devi Temple Trust, Srimahant Ravindrapuri Maharaj also reached the spot and took stock of the situation and expressed grief over the incident.
Helpline numbers issued:
Regarding the incident, Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said that several helpline numbers have been issued to give information about the incident that took place today at the Mansa Devi temple. Among these, information can be obtained for District Emergency Operation Center, Haridwar on 01334-223999, 9068197350 and 9528250926.
Apart from thisย , information about the dead or injured in this incident can be obtained for State Emergency Operation Center, Dehradun on numbers 0135-2710334, 2710335, 8218867005 and 9058441404.