A tragic stampede at the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, claimed nine lives and left between 30 and 35 others injured on Sunday morning, July 27, 2025, according to local authorities. The incident took place around 9 a.m., when hundreds of devotees crowded into the hilltop shrine during peak visiting hours.
Those who lost their lives included Shanti Devi, 60, and her husband, Rambharose, 65, from Badaun, Uttar Pradesh; Sakal Dev, 35 (reports vary), from Araria, Bihar; 12-year-old Arush (reports vary), Vicky Saini, 18, and Vishal Kumar, 19, all from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh; Vakeel Prasad, 45 (reports vary), from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh; and Vipin Saini, 19, from Kashipur, Udham Singh Nagar. Among the injured were Diksha, 26, and her four-year-old daughter, Akankshi, from Rampur, who were in critical condition. Phoolmati, in her mid-50s from Barabanki, later succumbed to her injuries, raising the death toll to nine.
At the time of the tragedy, more than 5,000 worshippers, mostly from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, were on the pedestrian approach to the temple. Authorities said the stampede began after rumors spread that live electric wires were posing a threat, sparking chaos on the cramped path leading to the entrance. Later investigations found no electric leakage. The Uttarakhand Power Corporation ruled out an electrocution threat.
Haridwar’s Senior Superintendent of Police, Pramendra Singh Dobal, said that approximately 35 people were rescued from the scene. AIIMS Rishikesh admitted 15 patients; five were discharged, four were in the intensive care unit, and six were placed in general wards.
Station House Officer Ritesh Shah said the Sunday morning crowd was similar to routine traffic and smaller than those seen during major events like the Kanwar Yatra and Ganga Dussehra. He suggested that the panic may have started after some young men climbed a wall, prompting others to react in fear and tumble over one another.
Footage from the scene revealed dense throngs of men, women, and children struggling to squeeze through the temple’s entrance, which is under three meters wide and partially obstructed by nearby shops. Some survivors reported that shopkeepers refused to provide refuge to people fleeing the crush.
Nirmala, 28, who lost her eight-year-old son Arush in the stampede, recalled the chaos. She had been climbing the ramp with her two children around 8 a.m. when she heard shouting from the crowd. The stream of devotees exiting the narrow ramp collided with those entering, knocking people down where they were trampled in the panic.
Local priest Ujjwal Pandit told the Associated Press that someone yelled about electric current on the path, and because the route is narrow with walls on one side, fear spread instantly. The wall is believed to have made the bottleneck even worse.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the injured in the hospital and announced financial aid of 200,000 rupees for the bereaved families and 50,000 rupees for each injured individual. District Magistrate Mayur Dixit confirmed the deaths were caused by chest injuries and ruled out electrocution. Authorities shut down the pedestrian path immediately after the incident to prevent further crowding.
Dhami ordered a magisterial investigation into the stampede, to be led by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate, with findings due within 15 days. The inquiry will focus on identifying the cause of the panic and assessing whether proper crowd management protocols were in place.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared his condolences on social media, expressing deep sorrow over the loss of life. President Droupadi Murmu also conveyed her grief. Later, Mahant Ravindra Puri, head of the Mansa Devi temple trust, pledged 500,000 rupees for each family of the deceased and 100,000 rupees for those injured.
The Mansa Devi temple, regarded as a sidhpeeth, sits atop Bilva Hill in Haridwar, 1,770 feet above sea level, in the Shivalik Hills. As one of Haridwar’s five sacred Panch Tirthas, it attracts pilgrims year-round, particularly during July and August.
According to temple staff, roughly 20,000 visitors arrived between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Sunday. During Sawan month, daily attendance often exceeds 6,000 worshippers, managed through 27 ropeway cable cars. Typically, police close the ramp once the temple complex is full, but on this day, the pedestrian route remained open until the incident unfolded.
This tragedy is the latest in a series of fatal stampedes at Hindu religious gatherings in India. Recent cases include three deaths at a religious event in Puri last month, 79 fatalities at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj in February, and 11 deaths during a victory celebration for an Indian Premier League cricket team in May.
