Dehradun, July 28 -- Having worked hard to manage the Char Dham and Kanwad Yatras, Uttarakhand's police and administration suffered a setback with the Mansa Devi stampede in Haridwar that led to the deaths of six devotees and injuries to many. It is believed to have been triggered by rumours of a high voltage wire having fallen in the vicinity. There is no doubt that such incidents occur because of the presence of large crowds, which become unmanageable for several reasons. This is the latest in a series of such crowd crushes that have taken place in various parts of India over the past few months.
The usual response nowadays is to cast the blame on somebody - either those who invited the crowd - such as a religious leader, film star, poli...