‘Devotees jumped over each other…even trampled children’: eyewitness recounts Haridwar stampede horror

Haridwar: In a heart-wrenching tragedy during the sacred month of Sawan, the revered Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar turned into a scene of chaos and grief this morning after a sudden stampede claimed seven lives and left dozens injured.

The deadly incident unfolded on the temple road's staircases as thousands of devotees gathered for darshan at the hilltop shrine. According to preliminary accounts, a rumour about an electric current in the crowd triggered widespread panic, causing a terrifying surge.

Eyewitnesses recalled scenes of unimaginable horror. One woman, struggling to hold back tears, described how the crowd went into a frenzy when the temple's main gate was closed due to overcrowding.

“People ran, jumped over each other. They trampled my children. There were bodies all around,” she sobbed.

Another devotee from Bihar, nursing a fractured hand, said the dense crowd left no space to move. “Suddenly people started running. I fell and got crushed under feet,” he said.

The tragedy comes during Sawan, a time when lakhs of Shiv devotees flock to Haridwar. Many are Kanwariyas, who make arduous journeys to collect holy Ganga water.

Disturbing visuals from the site showed bodies strewn near the stairway, ambulances rushing the injured to hospitals, and grieving relatives searching for loved ones.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is personally monitoring the situation. His government has announced ₹2 lakh compensation for families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the stampede and whether lapses in crowd management played a role in the catastrophe that has left the holy city reeling in sorrow.