Police gear up to tighten safety measures at religious sites following Mansa Devi tragedy

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun

Considering the recent stampede in Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar, in which eight people were killed and over 30 sustained injuries, the police have geared up for safety arrangements at temples and religious sites across Garhwal.

In light of the incident, the inspector general of Garhwal range Rajeev Swaroop has issued directions to all district in-charges to assess the scale of gatherings at religious sites during festivals, events and other occasions and accordingly prepare a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) for each site. He stated that religious sites in the region attract large crowds due to regular events and festivals, leading to potential crowd-related incidents.

The respective district in-charges and the officials concerned in police have been instructed to prepare concrete plans for crowd control, site security and prevention of any untoward incidents in their respective districts, he said. Swaroop directed that each religious site must be identified through coordination between local police and intelligence units. He ordered respective district police to determine the nature and size of gatherings specific to each festival or occasion. Based on this, SOPs will be drafted to address site-specific security needs. Security audits will be conducted every 15 days by the respective circle officer of police in coordination with the district administration, focusing on reviewing and strengthening current safety protocols.

The IG directed to emphasise on ensuring proper lighting, fire safety and the presence of the official concerned regarding the power supply at all religious sites. Fire-fighting equipment must be installed and fire personnel should be deployed as required. Swaroop said that an officer of sub-inspector rank will be assigned to lead security teams at each location and security staff deployment should meet required numbers. He stated that mock drills will be conducted periodically under the supervision of designated officials to test the effectiveness of the security arrangements. Any shortcomings found during these drills are to be addressed without delay.

He said that the district administrations are also required to coordinate with temple management committees by conducting meetings to gather suggestions and improve arrangements. The IG directed the police officials concerned to gather intelligence through local units and act on any significant information to ensure timely preventive measures.