Haridwar (PTI): Six people died and at least two dozen were injured in a stampede at Haridwar's Mansa Devi temple on Sunday, a police officer said.

Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Pramendra Singh Dobal told PTI Videos that 35 people had been rushed to a hospital, of whom six died.

The officer said a rumour of an electric current ahead of the spot where the steps to the temple begin sent the devotees panicking, leading to a stampede.

According to officials, the incident took place at around 9.30 am. The State Disaster Response Force and the fire brigade are at the spot, he said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said he was saddened by the incident and asserted that the situation was being monitored.

"Very sad news has been received about a stampede on the way to the Mansa Devi temple in Haridwar. SDRF, local police and other rescue teams have reached the spot and are engaged in relief and rescue operations," Dhami said in a post on Facebook.

"I am constantly in touch with the local administration in this regard, and the situation is being constantly monitored. I pray to Mata Rani for the safety of all the devotees," he added.

 

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Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.

AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.

“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.

He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.

“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.

According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.

In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.

AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.