On Sunday, a stampede in Haridwar's Mansa Devi Temple led to the death of six people. Reports suggest that rumors of a short circuit caused the crowd waiting on the temple's stairs to panic. The chaos left 25 people injured, all of whom were hospitalized. But who is to blame for this tragedy?
Path to the Temple: Ropeway and Pedestrian Route
The incident occurred around 9 AM amidst the holy month of Sawan. Devotees, following their ritual baths at Har Ki Pauri, were heading towards the Mansa Devi Temple in the Shivalik hills. The temple offers a ropeway service along with a pedestrian path for the journey.
Read More:
The temple path involves stairs that devotees in massive numbers used to reach the temple. The width of these stairs varies between 12 to 16 feet, gradually narrowing as the temple premises draw closer. Even as the crowd continued to come in from behind, the path near the premises kept getting narrower.
A Stampede Triggered by the Unmanageable Crowd
As the crowd surged, control measures collapsed, causing panic among devotees, evident in the adjacent shops where shutters were distorted. Initially, it was rumored that an electric shock circulated here. However, the police dismissed these rumors. According to eyewitnesses, a rumor about a short circuit near an electric pole alongside the stairs was prevalent.
Discover More:
In this incident, six lost their lives, and 25 were injured. But to understand how this catastrophe ensued, we must examine the safety arrangements made for pilgrims at the temple.
Only One Ingress and Egress Route from the Temple Premises
The temple premises have a rope barrier path. Devotees enter for darshan and leave through another path within the temple. However, for leaving the temple premises, no alternate route was provided. This means the thousands entering the temple were exiting the same way.
Source: aajtak
Temple committee chairman Mahant Ravindra Puri claims that he isn't responsible as they were busy helping people. The temple administration was aware of the increasing crowd with the help of cameras. However, they failed to alert authorities timely, which could have allowed different arrangements to clear the crowd.
In a conversation with Aaj Tak, the Mahant admitted that the same path was used by devotees entering and exiting, which is why the crowd increased significantly on the stairs at one time.
Area Under Forest Department Jurisdiction
The entire vicinity around Mansa Devi Temple falls under Rajaji Park's jurisdiction. Officers from the forest department and the temple committee are deliberating on the causes post-incident. It's not difficult to estimate negligence on their part too.
Forest officers have tried to eschew questions, citing the ongoing investigation. They asserted that there was no inadequacy on their part. Despite recognizing the crowd's weight on the pathways, no timely action was taken, resulting in the tragedy. Now, they await the investigation's findings.
Police to Implement Single Pathway
Haridwar police also shoulders a part of the responsibility. While police were deployed in the temple premises, correct actions in response to the increasing crowd weren't taken timely. During the Kanwar Yatra, Har Ki Pauri has separate pathways for entry and exit. So why didn't Mansa Devi Temple have separate pathways on narrow stairs?
Read More:
Haridwar SSP Dharmendra Singh mentions a single-pathway system will now be instituted to prevent such incidents. An investigation has also been launched. Questions arise why this wasn't implemented earlier. If preemptive action was taken, this incident could've been avoided, saving six lives and preventing 25 injuries.
A Surge of Devotees in Sawan
During Sawan, from Har Ki Pauri to Chandi Devi and Mansa Devi temples, there's always a throng of devotees. It's plausible that if it's Sunday or Saturday, the number increases due to holidays. When the crowd overflows, pathways are shut. Why didn't the temple committee, forest department, and police anticipate the crowd in time and initiate a single-pathway system earlier?
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered an investigation and announced compensation for the victims' families. Police have now set up a single pathway at the Mansa Devi Temple. However, as often happens, actions and precautions are only taken post-incident.
In the future, another such tragedy may not occur, but this incident raises pertinent questions about past crowd incidents across the country. Why weren't lessons learned to manage crowds at the Mansa Devi Temple? No one seems ready to accept responsibility now that the incident has occurred.
