Stampede at Haridwar’s Mansa Devi Temple Kills 6 Devotees; CM Pushkar Dhami Responds with Urgent Action Plan
Panic broke out after someone allegedly shouted about a live wire, triggering chaos among devotees, said Haridwar district magistrate, citing eyewitnesses
At least six people were killed and several others injured in a stampede at the Mansa Devi temple in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar on Sunday morning.
“We dispatched our three teams to the site as soon as we received information about the stampede. They are currently engaged in relief and rescue operations,” State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) commandant Arpan Yaduvansi said.
The stampede broke out around 9 am on the stairway route leading to the Mansa Devi temple.
“As per initial reports, six people have been confirmed dead, and around 10–15 others have been injured. Those in serious condition have been referred to higher medical centres,” Haridwar district magistrate Mayur Dixit said
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “Deeply saddened by the tragic news of a stampede on the pathway leading to the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar. SDRF, local police, and other rescue teams are on the spot, carrying out relief and rescue operations. I am in constant touch with the local administration and closely monitoring the situation. I pray to Mata Rani for the safety and well-being of all devotees.”
A rumour about electric current on the pathway led to the stampede, Haridwar district magistrate Mayur Dixit said.
“Administrative, police, and medical teams reached the spot in time, with six deaths confirmed so far. The exact cause of the stampede will be probed, and a magisterial inquiry will be set up. Initial inputs, the location of the stampede, and eyewitness accounts reveal that there was no electric current at the site. It was a rumour that led to panic among the pilgrims on the stairs leading to Mata Mansa Devi temple,” Dixit said.
According to some eyewitnesses, panic broke out after someone allegedly shouted about a live electric wire on the path, triggering chaos among the crowd of devotees, Dixit said. “The cause is still under investigation. We are verifying these claims and questioning eyewitnesses. Our probe is underway,” he added.
“Around 9 to 9.15 am we heard pilgrims crying for help. Since it’s a path you can only access by foot, there was immediate chaos and confusion. Local traders and residents were initially unable to understand what was happening. Ambulances soon arrived, and we assisted the police in ferrying the injured.
A boundary wall near the path is also believed to have contributed to the stampede,” Ujjwal Pundit, a teerth purohit associated with the Ganga Sabha, said.
A pilgrim from Uttar Pradesh said, “Around 20 people appeared to be injured from what I saw. After the incident, the temple gates were closed and all pilgrims were asked to return.”
Nestled atop Bilwa Parvat on the Shivalik Hills in Haridwar, the Mansa Devi Temple is a revered Hindu shrine dedicated to Goddess Mansa. It is situated around 3 km from Har-Ki-Pauri and can be reached either by trekking a 1.5 km uphill path or via the ropeway.
Haridwar, Uttarakhand — In a heart-wrenching tragedy that has shaken the religious city of Haridwar, six devotees lost their lives and over a dozen others were seriously injured in a stampede at the Mansa Devi temple on Saturday, July 27, 2025. The incident occurred during Shravan Somvar, a day considered highly auspicious in the Hindu calendar, attracting tens of thousands of pilgrims to the revered hilltop shrine.
The temple, perched atop the Bilwa Parvat, witnessed a sudden and uncontrolled crowd surge in the early morning hours. Devotees, many of whom had started queuing since 4 AM, were packed tightly inside the narrow corridors leading to the temple sanctum. According to eyewitnesses, the situation spiraled out of control around 8:15 AM when a bottleneck at one of the temple exits caused panic and led to a stampede-like situation.
Several pilgrims recounted the horrifying scenes of people crying out for help, falling over one another, and not enough police or volunteers on hand to manage the crowd. “There were no barricades, and the queue was moving dangerously fast. Suddenly people began pushing, and before we knew it, there was a pile of bodies,” said Ramesh Pandey, a survivor from Kanpur.
Temple volunteers were reportedly overwhelmed, and it took more than 30 minutes for emergency services to reach the affected area due to the steep and congested location of the shrine.
As per initial reports confirmed by the district administration, six people were declared dead at the Haridwar District Hospital, while 14 others were being treated for injuries ranging from fractures to head trauma. Authorities have not yet released the names of the deceased, but all are believed to be pilgrims from neighboring states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami swiftly responded to the tragedy, expressing deep grief over the loss of lives. He announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh to the families of each deceased victim and ₹50,000 for those injured. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Dhami wrote:
“The Mansa Devi temple incident is deeply saddening. I have ordered a high-level inquiry and instructed the administration to ensure such incidents are not repeated.”
Experts and locals are questioning why no real-time crowd monitoring systems were installed at such a high-traffic temple, despite previous warnings. The Ropeway service, an alternate route to reach the temple, had also witnessed long queues, further burdening the footpath route.
This is not the first time a stampede-like event has occurred at a religious place in India. Over the past decade, more than 30 such incidents have claimed hundreds of lives, raising serious concerns about pilgrim safety and disaster preparedness.
Deployment of AI-enabled crowd monitoring systems
Permanent barricading and queuing infrastructure
Limitation on the number of daily entries during peak days
Increased presence of disaster response teams and medical aid
