ARUN KASHYAP | Haridwar
The stampede near Mansa Devi temple which claimed eight lives on Sunday has elicited focus on various factors including encroachment by shopkeepers on routes to this and other temples. Local residents claim that many shops have been set up illegally at various points on the route on Mansa Devi, narrowing the route to the temple. They alleged that far from taking any serious initiative to clear such encroachments, the temple management is protecting such traders.
Haridwar district magistrate Mayur Dixit has also acknowledged that encroachments could be a factor which may have contributed to the stampede.
The officials inquiring into the incident are also looking into this aspect to ascertain the status of shops set up illegally on the route to the temple. Talking to this correspondent, some of those who were affected by the stampede questioned the role of the temple management. Some of the injured undergoing treatment in the district hospital said that there was considerable crowd descending from the temple and ascending towards it at the same time.
This caused disorder which then led to the stampede, they averred. One of the injured, Vinod Das from West Bengal said that some people who were possibly workers of the temple committee were wielding sticks and pushing the people pack. The resulting disorder caused his wife Reena Das and daughter Gunjan Das to fall and sustain injuries.
Meanwhile, observers point out that conditions similar to Mansa Devi exist at Chandi Devi temple in Haridwar. A number of encroachments have narrowed down the path to the temple, causing inconvenience to pilgrims walking up to the shrine.
Similarly, there are dozens of illegal shops along the route near the neighbouring Mata Anjana Mandir. These shops are hampering the vehicular traffic and may also prove to be an impediment to rescue and relief efforts during an emergency situation.
