Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey has confirmed the stampede at Mansadevi Temple in Haridwar and said that six deaths were informed by the officials engaged in rescue operation.
However other officials in Haridwar district claimed that the death figure had gone up to 10 by 10.30 am even as local police had begun a rescue operation at the stampede site.
Speaking to the media Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey informed that a stampede at Mansadevi Temple occurred this morning as the temple steps were heavily crowded by the devotees.
Pandey who was heading to the spot from Dehradun said that the reason for the stampede could be known only after inquiry.
However district and local police officials in Haridwar informed on the condition of anonymity that a rumour as to falling down of an electric wire on the temple steps amid created chaos in the crowd triggering the stampede.
Meanwhile, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has also joined hands in rescue operations with local police district administration, as the news was being filed.