Why in news?
A stampede at Haridwar’s Mansa Devi temple caused eight deaths and over thirty injuries. The tragedy occurred after rumours spread that an electric wire had snapped, leading to panic on a crowded stairway.
What happened?
- A large crowd of devotees was climbing the temple’s stairway when someone shouted that an electric cable had broken. Panic set in, causing people to push and fall. Those at the bottom were crushed.
Immediate response
- Local authorities and temple security alerted emergency services. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), fire brigade and medical teams were mobilised.
- Temporary medical camps were set up to triage and treat the injured. Severe cases were moved to hospitals with trauma facilities.
- Officials announced compensation for victims’ families and provided shelter and food for stranded pilgrims. A magisterial inquiry was ordered to investigate causes such as crowd mismanagement, rumours and infrastructure gaps.
Long‑term measures
- The incident has prompted calls for comprehensive audits of temple infrastructure, including stairways, barricades and emergency exits.
- Crowd monitoring using CCTV and artificial intelligence is being considered to detect bottlenecks before they become dangerous.
- Standard operating procedures for managing large religious gatherings may be revised, and public awareness campaigns on disaster preparedness are being recommended.
Relevance
- The stampede underscores the importance of disaster management and crowd control, topics covered in UPSC’s disaster management syllabus.
- It also highlights governance issues such as accountability of local authorities, temple trusts and emergency services.