‘No One Opened Their Doors’: Survivors Share Harrowing Details of Haridwar Stampede

HARIDWAR — A tragic stampede at the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, claimed eight lives and injured 30 others on Sunday morning, triggered by a rumored electrical spark that sparked widespread panic, according to police reports. The incident occurred around 9 am on a narrow 1.5-km ramp leading to the hilltop temple, where devotees were both entering and exiting through a path less than three meters wide, partially obstructed by shops.

Nirmala, 28, who had arrived in Haridwar with 15 family members for a weekend visit, recounted the chaos. Clutching her two children, aged four and eight, she was just 100 meters from the temple entrance when shouts erupted, and the crowd surged. “I fell but held tight to my kids,” she told at the district hospital. “We were on the ground, people falling over us, some stepping on us as they fled. A man shielded us and tried to get us to safety in a nearby shop, but the shopkeeper refused to let us in.” Eventually, others helped them reach the temple’s ropeway.

Anita Kumari, a relative of Nirmala, was about 50 meters from the stampede’s epicenter. Unable to reach Nirmala by phone, she later learned from her niece that Nirmala’s eight-year-old son, Arush, had died. “This could have been avoided,” Kumari said. “There were no barricades, no crowd control. They should limit how many people can enter the temple.” She urged authorities to implement measures to prevent future tragedies.

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The stampede occurred during the busy month of Sawan, when Haridwar sees a surge in pilgrims, particularly for the Kanwar Yatra. Among the victims was 20-year-old Vicky Saini from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, who had joined a group from his village for the yatra. After a dip in the Ganga, the group headed to the Mansa Devi temple. Vicky’s cousin, Sachin, who was injured, informed the family of his death after he was taken to the hospital. The other deceased were identified as Shanti, 60, from Badaun, UP; Vakeel, 43, from Barabanki, UP; Vishal, 19, from Rampur, UP; Ram Bharose, 43, from Budaun, UP; Shakal, 18, from Araria, Bihar; and Vipin Saini, 18, from Kashipur, Uttarakhand.

Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Nilesh Bharne explained that the panic stemmed from a rumor about an electrical hazard, causing devotees to rush in opposite directions on the cramped ramp. A police officer noted that the chaos may have been exacerbated when someone climbing a wall tugged on a wire connected to the main circuit box, possibly causing a spark. Vinod Kumar Suman, Secretary of Disaster Management, reported that five seriously injured individuals were transferred to AIIMS, Rishikesh, while others received treatment at the district hospital. Suman emphasized that new crowd control guidelines, including better barricading and limits on pilgrim numbers, would be developed, noting that the tragedy resulted from panic rather than excessive crowd size.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the incident, announcing an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. He ordered a magisterial inquiry to investigate the incident and review crowd management protocols to prevent future occurrences, according to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office.