16 killed in stampede at Haridwar

Hardwar, India, Nov 8 (PTI) At least 16 people, mostly women, were killed and several others injured in a stampede during a religious ceremony attended by tens of thousands of devotees on the banks of the Ganga river at the Hindu holy town of Hardwar in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand on Tuesday. The stampede occurred when the people tried to enter the place at Chandidweep Ghat where the ceremony was being held to mark the centenary celebrations of Acharya Pandit Shriram Sharma, the founder of Shantikunj Ashram. Hardwar Sub Divisional Magistrate Harbir Singh said 16 people were killed in the stampede. "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. Police sources said nearly 200,000 people from home and abroad had gathered for the ceremony. Police officials blamed the Shantikunj Ashram authorities for not involving them and the district administration in the management of the ceremony. PTI