After Shravan Kaanwad Yatra chapter being closed yet another tragedy occured in Mansadevi Temple, Haridwar due to massive stampede where seven pilgrims have been dead and several injured.
The tragedy occured after a rumour about electrocution spread leading to stampede brutally killing seven pilgrims.
This tragedy of seven deaths is being considered as biggest as during Kaanwad Yatra at Haridwar despite millions of pilgrims thronging and few scattered incidents of violence and loot there have not been the tragic deaths with the Kaanwad Yatra schedule coming to an end finally giving tremendous relief to Haridwar general administration and the police authorities.
According to the latest news the stampede occured at the staircase of the temple leading to seven deaths and dozens of injuries.
The Garhwal division commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey said that a massive crowd had collected at the Mansadevi precincts where at its staircase this massive tragedy occured with 15 counts of the injured after spreading of panic due to someone spreading rumours of electrocution.
There are reports that the injured have been admitted to AIIMS Rishikesh as well and the chief minister had visited the hospital enquiring about the health of the injured.
Expressing her condolences, President Draupadi Murmu wrote: “The news of the death of many devotees in a stampede on the way to the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar is very painful.
I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. I pray that all the injured devotees recover soon wrote the President on X.
Prime minister Narendra Modi has expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families over this tragic loss and wished immediate recovery of the injured.
He wrote on X : Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to a stampede on the route to Mansadevi temple in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Condolences to those who lost their own bed ones. May the injured recovery ver soon. The local administration is assisting those affected said The PM on X.
The Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has immediately announced Rs.two lakh to each of the bereaved families of the deceased and Rs .50000 to those injured as monetary compensation on X announcing the magisterial inquiry in the matter and prays to Almighty to render peace to the departed soul including expression of deepest condolences. He assured of all possible help and said that the SDRF and the police have reached the tragedy spot and are engaged in swift relief operation with injured being taken to hospitals for immediate treatment.
The Senior Superintendent of police Mr. Prabodh Dobhal also confirmed that the stampede triggered after the rumours of electrocution were dead initially being so X death and thirty four injured but later on one more death added to the tally of some X with injured count too reaching 55.
The Uttarakhand Congress president Karan Mahara criticised the Ruling party BJP government for this tragedy saying this incident is completely the result of the failure of the administration and the negligence of the government.
He said : The first Saturday and Sunday after Shravan month’s Shivaratri is the time of the biggest crowd in Haridwar. The administration knows this every year, yet no concrete preparations have been made. In view of the Panchayat elections in the state, policemen have been put on election duty. If there was adequate police force, perhaps this incident could have been prevented today.
The standard rules of crowd control were completely ignored this time. The staircase is always made one-way when the crowd increases, but today traffic was allowed on both sides, causing chaos. He accused the lack of coordination and said that the temple committee did not coordinate with the police administration.
After the crowd increased, the temple administration should have informed the police administration and made them aware of the situation. He blamed the police for reaching at the accidental spot late saying that after the accident, the local people started the rescue work first, while the police took 20 minutes to reach the spot, due to which many lives could not be saved.
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