Stampede at Vaishno Devi, 12 dead
L-G Sinha sets up probe panel; Minor altercation may have led to tragedy: DGP
Box: Relief for kin
PM Modi announced Rs2 lakh ex gratia each for kin of deceased and Rs50,000 each for injured
Shrine board will give Rs10 lakh each to victims’ families and Rs2 lakh each to the injured
Box: Survivors allege neglect
Eyewitnesses claim number of devotees was beyond permitted level with violation of Covid norms
Some of them accused the J&K administration of mismanagement
Shrine board denied charges saying all arrangements were made in view of expected rush
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 1
At least 12 persons were killed and nearly 20 sustained injuries in a stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours during a heavy rush of devotees on New Year.
Officials said the incident took place between 2.30 am and 2.45 am on Saturday near a relatively narrow passage at gate number 3 outside the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine where devotees usually arrive round the clock after trekking from the Katra base camp, a distance of nearly 13 km.
A high-level inquiry was ordered by Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha. It will headed by Principal Secretary (Home) Shaleen Kabra with Jammu Divisional Commissioner Rajiv Langar and ADGP Mukesh Singh as its members.
Condolences poured in from all quarters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Sinha and asked Union Minister Jitendra Singh to rush to the shrine and take stock of the situation.
According to eyewitness accounts, the number of devotees was allegedly beyond the permitted level with flagrant violation of Covid norms. Some survivors reportedly accused the J&K administration of “mismanagement”.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board denied the charges saying all necessary arrangements were made in view of the expected rush.
The J&K Police claimed most of the deaths took place due to suffocation. They said among the deceased seven were from Uttar Pradesh, three from Delhi and one each from Haryana and J&K.
Director General of Police Dilbag Singh said the incident took place due to confusion or “probably somebody at the site acted funny leading to some altercation”. He said preliminary information suggested there was a minor altercation among some boys and within seconds there was a stampede.
“All these things are being looked into. That area is a little narrow and people ran helter-skelter without knowing the reason,” he said.
The deceased were identified as Arun Pratab Singh (30), Dharam Veer Singh (35), Vineet Kumar (38), Shewata Singh (35), Mohinder Gour (26), Narinder Kashap (40) and Monu Sharma (32) of Uttar Pradesh; Vinay Kumar (24), Sonu Panday (24) and Akash Kumar (29) of Delhi; Mamta (38) of Haryana; and Desraj Kumar (26) of Rajouri district of J&K, the officials said. The condition of two of the injured was stated to be critical.
PM Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the PM National Relief Fund for the next of kin of those who lost their lives. The injured would be given Rs 50,000 each, he added.
The J&K administration announced a relief of Rs 10 lakh each to the victims’ families and Rs 2 lakh each to the injured which will be paid by the shrine board.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “I have spoken to the Lieutenant Governor. The administration is working continuously to provide treatment to the injured.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “The stampede is tragic. I extend my condolences to the families of the deceased.” Political parties in Kashmir, including the National Conference, PDP and the People’s Conference, also expressed grief over the incident.
