Stampedes at temples and other religious places in India have claimed nearly 1,000 lives in the last 10 years in the country.
Before today's stampede at an ashram in Haridwar which claimed 16 lives, there was a huge melee at the famed Sabarimala shrine in Kerala that killed more than 104 devotees on January 14 this year.
More than 60 people were also injured in the stampede which happened when a jeep crashed into homebound pilgrims at Pulmedu, a remote area in Kerala's Idukki district.
On March 4, 2010, about 63 people were killed and 15 injured when a gate at Kripalu Maharaj's Ashram at Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh collapsed during distribution of food on the occasion of a ritual, for which nearly 10,000 people had converged.
On September 30, 2008, nearly 250 devotees were killed and over 60 injured in a stampede at Chamunda Devi temple in Rajasthan's Jodhpur city.
The incident took place when there was a rumour of a bomb going off. More than 10,000 people had turned up at the famous temple for a darshan of the Hindu goddess.
A similar tragedy at the Hindu temple of Naina Devi in Himachal Pradesh on August 3, 2008 had killed over 150 people, mainly women and children, and injured about 230.
On March 27 that year, at least eight devotees were crushed to death and 10 seriously injured in a stampede at a temple in the remote Karila village in Madhya Pradesh.
A stampede at Mandhar Devi temple in Maharashtra claimed 340 lives in January 2005. The accident happened when some people fell down on the steps made slippery by devotees breaking coconuts.
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Tragedy in Haridwar: 16 killed in stampede; toll likely to rise
Sixteen people, mostly women, were killed and several others injured in a stampede during a religious attended by tens of thousands of devotees near Har ki Pauri here on Tuesday.
The stampede occurred when the people tried to enter the yajnashala at Chandidweep Ghat on the banks of Ganga for the centenary celebrations of Acharya Pt Shriram Sharma, the founder of Shatikunj Ashram.
Haridwar SDM Harbir Singh confirmed 16 deaths in the stampede while unofficial sources said at least 22 people were killed. The toll is expected to rise as at least a dozen of the injured are said to be critical.
“It appears that suffocation in the area led to the stampede but exact cause will only come out after an inquiry,” he said.
As the stampede broke out, the people ran helter-skelter with women and children falling on the ground.
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was also holding 'yajna' at the ashram when the stampede broke out.
Police sources said nearly two lakh people from home and abroad had gathered for the ceremony, which is considered to be biggest after the Kumbh mela.
Police officials blamed the Shantikunj Ashram authorities for not involving the police and district administration in the management of the ceremony where lakhs of people had gathered during the past few days.
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PM sanctions Rs 1 lakh for kin of dead
Prime minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday expressed grief over the loss of lives in a stampede in Haridwar in Uttarakhand and sanctioned Rs 1 lakh for the kin of those killed.
He also sanctioned Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured, a PMO spokesman said. “The prime minister is grieved to learn about the loss of lives in the Haridwar stampede,” the spokesman said.
Sonia Gandhi condoles stampede deaths
Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed her deep shock and sorrow over the tragic stampede deaths in Haridwar on Tuesday and urged authorities to act immediately to provide relief to the injured.
“Sonia Gandhi expressed her deep shock and sorrow on the tragic deaths caused by the stampede in Haridwar. She also conveyed her condolences to the bereaved families and urged the authorities to act immediately in providing relief to the injured,” an AICC release said.
