But the question is who is responsible for this stampede?

Rope-way and foot route to go to the temple

Talking about the whole incident, the accident happened around 9 am. In the holy Sawan month, as usual, devotees were moving on Hari's Paidi and focusing on the Mansa Devi temple towards the hills of Shivalik. There is also a system of rope-way in the hills of Shivalik to go to Mansa Devi temple and in addition to walking routes have also been made.

There is a route for pedestrians in the Shivalik hills, but through this route one has to pass through the stairs to go up in the temple courtyard. Thousands of devotees were moving towards Mansa Devi temple through stairs. The width of these stairs is from 12 feet to sixteen feet and the path goes forward. The crowd was constantly coming from behind and the way near the temple courtyard, the way went narrow.

A stampede caused by uncontrollable crowd

When the crowd grew more, the arrangements broke and the pressure of the devotees escaped from the crowd, where the shutters also became crooked. In the initial stages, it was said that there was a rumor of electric current. But the police rejected these rumors. However, eyewitnesses say that there was a rumor of a short circuit on an electric pole on the side of the stairs.

Eight people died and 25 people were injured in this accident. But for how this accident happened, you have to fully understand the arrangements made for the devotees in the temple.

The way to and from the temple courtyard is one

The path has been made from the temple courtyard to the temple of Mansa Devi to and from the ropes. Devotees visit the temple and go to other ways after entering the temple. But no other smooth way has been given to take out the temple courtyard from the temple. That is, thousands of devotees were going out of the temple for the same stairs from which thousands of devotees were entering the temple.

Rescue team posted in the temple premises after the accident (photo: PTI)

Mahant Ravindra Puri, president of the temple committee, says that the responsibility is not mine, we have saved people. There are many cameras installed in the temple, due to which the temple administration knew that the crowd was increasing. But it happened that in time, he did not warned the administration, if the police and administration were informed about the crowd in time, then separate arrangements could be made to remove the crowd.

Talking to Aaj Tak, Mahant admitted that the way devotees were coming, they were going. For this reason, the crowd increased considerably on the stairs at a time.

Entire area under forest department

The entire courtyard around Mansa Devi temple comes under Rajaji Park Department. Forest department officials and the chairman of the temple committee are discussing the reasons after the accident. It is not difficult to understand that they also have an idea of negligence.

Forest Department officials have tried to avoid questions citing investigation. He says that there was no shortage from our side. The roads were also under the forest department and they had also got the idea of the number of passengers passing through these routes. But due to non -time action, this incident happened and the forest department officials are now waiting for the investigation.

Now the police will make a single route

In this episode, the third responsibility is also with the Haridwar police. When the police people were stationed in the temple courtyard, why did the officials not take action at the right time after seeing the increasing crowd. During the Kavand Yatra, if the way to come and go under the crowd management system on Hari's paddies is different, then why was the Mansa Devi temple not made a separate route to come and go on narrow stairs for the travelers.

SSP Dharmendra Singh of Haridwar Police says that now a single route system will be implemented so that such an incident does not happen again and a case has also been registered to investigate it. So the question is why the single route which is being arranged now, why was it not done before. If this had been done earlier, eight people would not have died, nor would 25 people get injured and were hospitalized.

A crowd of devotees throngs in the spring

In the month of Sawan, there is an influx of devotees from Har Ki Paidi to Chandi Devi and Mansa Devi temple. There is also a possibility that if it is Sunday or Saturday, then the number of devotees may increase in view of the holiday. When there is more crowd, the whole way is closed. In such a situation, the temple committee, forest department and police did not guess the crowd in time. Why the single route system was not started earlier to control the crowd.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered an inquiry into the accident and has also announced compensation for the families of those killed. The police has now arranged for a single route in Mansa Devi temple. But as often happens, every time action and precautionary steps are taken only after the accident.

There may be no such accident again in the coming days, but this incident has also raised questions that there have been incidents of stampede in different areas of the country, so why did not prepare for crowd management in Mansa Devi temple by taking a lesson from it. Now the incident has happened, so no one is ready to take responsibility for it.