Seven pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh and three from Delhi were among the 12 people who died in a stampede at Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Saturday, officials said. A three-member panel has been set up to probe the stampede and has been asked to submit its report to the Jammu and Kashmir government within a week.
Here are the latest developments from the mishap that shocked the country on Saturday morning:
• The incident occurred 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 hilltop shrine where devotees usually arrive round the clock after trekking from the Katra base camp, a distance of nearly 13 km.
• Among the 12 pilgrims who died in the stampede, seven were from Uttar Pradesh and three were from Delhi. The other two — Mamta (38) and Dheeraj Kumar (26) — belonged to Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, respectively, officials said.
• Sixteen people, who were injured in the incident, were admitted to the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana hospital at Kakriyal. Six among them were discharged after necessary treatment, the officials said.
• According to eyewitness accounts, the number of devotees was allegedly beyond the permitted level with flagrant violation of Covid-19 norms, and some of the survivors accused the Jammu and Kashmir administration of “mismanagement”. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, however, denied the charges saying all necessary arrangements were made in view of the expected rush.
• The three-member panel set up to probe the stampede has been asked to submit its report to the Jammu and Kashmir government within a week. The committee headed by the principal secretary (home) was constituted by the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha following the stampede at the shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district in the early hours of Saturday that left 12 pilgrims dead and over a dozen others injured.
• In an order issued this evening on behalf of the J&K government, General Administration Department Principal Secretary Manoj Kumar Dwivedi said the high-level panel has been constituted to ascertain the reasons behind the tragic incident.
• Director General of Police Dilbag Singh told reporters that the incident took place due to confusion or “probably due to some altercation”. “All these things are being looked into. That area is a little narrow and people ran helter-skelter without knowing the reason. Most of the deaths have taken place due to suffocation and most of the injuries are also due to the same reason,” he said.
• Condolences poured in from all quarters and Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to LG Sinha. President Ram Nath Kovind and a number of other leaders including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, union ministers and chief ministers expressed grief over the loss of lives.
• Prime Minister Modi said all efforts are being made to provide relief to those injured in the unfortunate incident. “I express my deep condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones in the stampede at Vaishno Devi Bhawan complex,” he said. Modi further said the central government is in constant touch with the J&K administration and full care is being taken for relief work.
• Union minister Jitendra Singh, who arrived at the site to take stock of the situation, said innovative measures are required to deal with the trend of youngsters visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine on New Year. “Traditionally, devotees used to come on festival days like Navratras, Dussehra and Deepavali. But this is a new trend, and we have to take measures accordingly,” he said, adding, “We will talk about innovation and technology to find some solution to this.”
(with inputs from PTI)
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