Haridwar, July 27:  At least six people have been killed in a stampede that broke out at the Mansa Devi Temple in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar early Sunday, SSP Pramendra Singh Dobal confirmed.

The incident occurred due to overcrowding in the temple premises as thousands of devotees thronged the sacred site during the ongoing holy month of Shravan.

Eyewitnesses reported chaos as people began pushing each other while waiting in queues, resulting in panic and a sudden rush.

Rescue and relief operations were swiftly initiated. Medical teams and ambulances reached the site promptly, and the injured were transported to nearby hospitals for immediate treatment.

Authorities confirmed that relief work is still underway, and the situation is being closely monitored.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed sorrow over the incident.

CM Dhami said that rescue and relief operations are ongoing, and he is closely monitoring the situation.

“Extremely distressing news has been received about a stampede breaking out at the Mansa Devi Temple in Haridwar. Uttarakhand SDRF, local police, and other rescue teams have reached the spot and are engaged in relief and rescue operations,” he said in a post on X.

“I am in constant contact with the local administration regarding this matter, and the situation is being closely monitored. I pray to Mata Rani for the safety of all the devotees,” he added.

Further details regarding the incident are still awaited as authorities continue to assess the situation.

Every year, Haridwar sees a massive influx of pilgrims during the month of Shravan, especially at the revered Har Ki Pauri and Mansa Devi Temple.

This year, however, the situation turned grim due to an overwhelming crowd, triggering a stampede that has once again spotlighted the issue of crowd management at religious gatherings.

This tragic incident adds to the growing number of stampedes that have occurred across India this year. So far, over 50 people have lost their lives in similar incidents at religious sites, railway stations, and public events.

Amritsar, July 27: In a significant breakthrough, the Punjab Police, in coordination with Central agencies, have dismantled a major trans-border smuggling network of sophisticated arms and drug money operated by handlers backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), authorities said on Sunday.

“Amritsar Rural Police, in close coordination with central agencies, dismantles a major trans-border smuggling network of sophisticated arms and drug money, operated by Pakistan-ISI-backed handlers,” said Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav in a statement.

The operation resulted in the arrest of five key accused, identified as Jobanjit Singh, Gora Singh, Shenshan, Sunny Singh, and Jaspreet Singh.

A large cache of arms and cash was seized from them, including one AK Saiga 308 assault rifle with two magazines, two Glock 9mm pistols with four magazines, 90 live cartridges of the AK rifle, 10 live cartridges of 9mm calibre, Rs 7.50 lakh in drug money, a car, and three mobile phones.

According to DGP Yadav, preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused had direct links with Pakistan-based ISI operatives.

“The intercepted consignment was intended to be delivered to Nav alias Nav Pandori, a known associate of gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, indicating a broader terror-gangster nexus,” the DGP said.

Jagdeep Singh, alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, a resident of Gurdaspur, has more than 120 criminal cases against him, including charges of murder, extortion, drug trafficking, and violations of the Arms Act. He is regarded as a notorious gangster in Punjab and is also believed to be a mentor to Lawrence Bishnoi, as per various media reports.

The Punjab Police reiterated its commitment to countering organised crime and terrorism in the state, stating that it “remains fully committed to dismantling terror networks, eliminating organised crime, and safeguarding peace, safety, and harmony across the state.”

This crackdown follows a separate major operation just a day earlier, in which authorities busted another cross-border heroin smuggling module.

Four key operatives with direct connections to Pakistan-based smugglers were apprehended while transporting a consignment of heroin near the India-Pakistan border in Attari. Police seized 4 kg of heroin during the operation.

Thane, July 27: A 27-year-old woman was arrested on Sunday for allegedly killing her three minor daughters by poisoning them after being distressed over domestic issues in Maharashtra’s Thane district, police said.

Sandhya Sandeep Bere, a housewife living at Talepada in Asnoli village under Shahapur area, allegedly mixed a pesticide in “varan bhat” (a traditional rice and lentil dish) and served it to her daughters, aged 5, 8 and 10, on July 20, a senior police official said.

The girls soon experienced health complications, including vomiting and giddiness, and were rushed to a local hospital.

As their condition worsened, two of them were later admitted to a hospital in Mumbai where they died on July 24 and July 25. Another girl was shifted to a hospital in Nashik where she succumbed on July 24, the official said.

Initially, the Khinavli police registered a case of accidental death.

However, the autopsy report on Saturday night confirmed the presence of poison in the children’s bodies, the police said.

Acting swiftly on the crucial evidence, the police registered a case of murder against the children’s mother and arrested her around 2 am on Sunday, the official said.

The accused had been grappling with domestic issues, including her husband’s habit of liquor consumption, as per the police.

She had separated from her husband and was struggling to care for her three daughters which apparently drove her to the crime, they said.

The woman’s in-laws had suspected her involvement in the death of the three children.

She was initially detained for questioning and was arrested after the autopsy reports came in, the police said.

Further probe was on into the case.

New Delhi, July 26: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the country’s internal security challenges would remain dynamic in view of India’s geo-political neighbourhood.

Delivering the concluding address at the eighth National Security Strategies Conference (NSSC) here, Shah also said that demonstrating strong political will, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again not only reaffirmed the policy of zero tolerance against terrorism, but also presented it before the world in a remarkable manner through Operation Sindoor.

“Observing that the internal security challenges would remain dynamic in view of India’s geo-political neighbourhood, Shah exhorted the state police forces and Central security agencies to adopt the motto of ‘Suraksha, Sajagta and Samanvay’ (security, alertness and coordination),” an official statement said.

Stating that the Modi government has resolved numerous issues scattered across various states, Shah said, “India is one of the fastest emerging economies, and with that, the challenges before the country are also increasing. We must stay more vigilant and tackle problems with heightened awareness.”

He also called the NSSC significant in enabling senior officers to guide young officers, familiarise them with challenges, and show them the path to finding solutions.

The home minister said the forces of all states and Central investigating agencies should move forward with the goal of becoming the best in the world.

To address the challenges facing the nation, a reliable ecosystem for real-time data sharing must be established, he said.

Shah also said that all agencies must make security-first approach, habitual alertness, and coordination an integral part of their working methodology.

He mentioned that the prime minister’s strong resolve and the support of fellow citizens sent a strong message of zero tolerance towards terrorism across the world.

Pointing out that India’s economy has risen to the fourth position globally, the home minister said India is now a world leader in new and emerging technologies, startups, green energy and innovations.

He also emphasised that India’s rising stature would lead to increasing national security challenges in the years to come.

Stressing that these challenges needed to be tackled through better coordination, Shah called for the formation of homogenous teams of Central and state agencies to develop strategies, and implement and monitor them.

He also instructed the involvement of young police officers in each state to brainstorm on national challenges and devise solutions to address them.

Shah urged to inculcate the use of national databases like NATGRID, NIDAAN, iMoT and CBI’s fugitive database among young officers by including them in all training programmes.

The home minister emphasised that the next 5-10 years would be very important for the development and security of the country.

While appreciating the achievements in Left Wing Extremism (LWE), northeast and Jammu and Kashmir theatres, he asked the DGsP to adopt a similar approach for effective implementation of the three new criminal laws and tackling the challenge of narcotics.

He also advocated the need for a top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top approach in initiating action against the big drug cartels, besides focusing on extradition of narco-offenders.

The DGsP were directed to make it the prime agenda of the police for the next three years in the path towards ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’, the statement said.

Pointing out that the police station is the focal point of intelligence collection, he called upon the police leadership to evolve a credible platform for sharing real-time information up to the police station level.

Emphasising the primary duty of the police to protect the life, property and dignity of citizens, the home minister directed each state police force and Central agency to strive towards excellence, and nurture a spirit of healthy competition to address the internal security challenges.

Stressing upon the need for all-round development in the LWE affected areas, Shah urged the DGsP to coordinate with state administrations to ensure the implementation of more than 300 Central and state development schemes at the grassroots level.

Underscoring the importance of securing smaller seaports along the country’s maritime borders, Shah emphasised capacity building of state police to counter infiltration and smuggling activities.

He also reviewed the counter-terror initiatives and directed to take stringent legal action against the repeat offenders.

Earlier he paid homage to the martyrs on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas and saluted the efforts of the armed forces and BSF during Operation Sindoor.