LG visits Naryana Hospital; MoS PMO visits shrine, hospital
STATE TIMES NEWS
Jammu: Twelve people lost their lives and 16 others were injured in a stampede at the famous Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours during a heavy rush of devotees on New Year.
This is the first such tragedy at the revered shrine located atop the Trikuta hills – about 50 km from here – that attracts lakhs of people every year.
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.
A high-level inquiry panel headed by Principal Secretary (Home) Shaleen Kabra, with Divisional Commissioner Jammu Rajiv Langar and Additional Director General of Police Mukesh Singh as its members, has been set up by Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha and asked to submit a report within a week.
3-member panel constituted to probe
Jammu: The three-member panel set up to probe the stampede at the famous Vaishno Devi shrine has been asked to submit its report to the Jammu and Kashmir government within a week, according to an official order issued on Saturday.
The committee headed by the principal secretary (home) was constituted by the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha following the stampede at the shrine atop the 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. The other two members of the committee are Jammu Divisional Commissioner Raghav Langer and Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Mukesh Singh. “The Committee shall examine in detail the causes/reasons behind the incident (stampede) and point out the lapses and fix the responsibility thereof,” the order said. It said the committee would submit its report within a week’s time to the government and also suggest appropriate standard operating procedures and measures for preventing the recurrence of such incidents in future.
Efforts underway to provide relief to injured: PM
New Delhi: Expressing deep grief over the loss of lives in a stampede at Vaishno Devi Bhawan in Katra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said all efforts are being made to provide relief to those injured in the unfortunate incident. Speaking at an event for release of funds to farmers under PM-KISAN scheme, Modi said he spoke to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Lt Governor Manoj Sinha in this regard. “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.
Earlier in the day, Modi approved an ex-gratia from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the victims of the stampede. “An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. The injured would be given Rs 50,000,” the Prime Minister’s office tweeted.
Scuffle caused stampede; only 35K pilgrims were allowed: SMVDSB
Jammu: The Saturday stampede that killed 12 people occurred due to a scuffle between two groups of pilgrims , the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board said in a statement, emphasising only 35,000 pilgrims were allowed to proceed for the yatra against the normal capacity of 50,000 in view of the pandemic.
The board said Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the Chairman of the Board, was informed about the stampede at 3 am and he has been continuously monitoring the situation since then.
National Green Tribunal has capped the normal capacity of Yatra per day to 50000. Pertinently, keeping in view the COVID-19 Pandemic, 35000 pilgrims were allowed to proceed for yatra on 31st December 2021 and for 1st Jan. 2022, SMVDSB said in a detailed statement on the tragic incident.
It said around 2:15 am on January 1, the stampede happened near Gate No three at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. The unfortunate incident, due to a scuffle between two groups of pilgrims, resulted in the stampede. In this ill-fated incident, a total of 12 pilgrims lost their lives and 16 others were injured,” it said.
The statement said the Board as well as the Reasi District Administration promptly shifted the injured pilgrims immediately to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Kakryal, after providing first aid at Medical Unit Bhawa.
The bodies of the deceased, which include 10 men and two women pilgrims, were shifted to the Community Health Centre Katra for identification and further legal formalities, the statement said. Of the 12 deceased pilgrims, two have been shifted by Air and nine by Road to their native destinations by the Shrine Board Administration with the assistance of UT Administration. The lone left-out dead body will be shifted tomorrow morning by Air from GMC, Jammu, the SMVDSB said. Amongst the injured, who were hospitalised at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Hospital, Kakryal, nine have been discharged, whereas seven pilgrims are still under treatment there, it said.
The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has established a dedicated helpline, which can be approached at Phone No. 01991-234804 and 01991-234053.
The helplines established by the district administration are: DC Reasi Control Room: 01991- 245763/9419839557, PCR Katra: 01991-232010/9419145182, and PCR Reasi: 01991245076/9622856295, the statement said.
Azad, Chugh, among other leaders express grief
SRINAGAR/JAMMU: Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have expressed grief over the loss of lives in the stampede at the shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Jammu on Saturday and urged administration to take adequate steps to ensure that such an incident does not recur.
Former Chief Minister of J&K Ghulam Nabi Azad has expressed heartfelt grief on tragic incident of stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine causing loss of 12 precious lives. Azad demanded adequate compensation to family members of deceased and proper medical attention to all those who got injured. “I am sure that UT authorities will press all available resources into action and take immediate remedial measures. My heart goes out for those who lost their loved ones. The injured should be provided immediate medical attention,” said Azad.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh expressed his grief and shock at the stampede that occurred at Vaishno Mata temple.
He said relief work has been undertaken at a war footing and administrative arrangements have been beefed up to avoid recurrence of such unfortunate incident.
Former Member Parliament, Dr Karan Singh has also expressed grief at the tragic incident. In a statement issued here, the former Member Parliament said, “I am deeply shocked to learn of unfortunate stampede at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi resulting in deaths of many and injury to several pilgrims. My deep sympathies are with families of deceased and prayers for rapid recovery of injured. I pray to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi to bestow her blessings on all of us in the New Year.”
BJP’s JK unit Chief Ravinder Raina and senior party leaders Devender Singh Rana and Surjeet Singh Slathia separately visited the hospital where the injured were admitted and the Katra base camp nearby. Expressing sadness over the incident, Raina said that party workers were assisting the affected people.
Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Farooq Khan expressed deep pain and anguish over the tragedy and conveyed condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for the fast recovery of the injured.
While expressing heartfelt condolences to bereaved families, Spokesperson BJP J&K UT, Y V Sharma said that it is really unfortunate that pilgrims, who had visited the Shrine on New Year eve to pay obeisance to Mata Vaishno Devi but lost their lives. He prayed to God to grant peace to departed souls and patience to bereaved families to bear such an irreparable loss.
Deeply saddened by the news from #matavaishnodevi. My condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the stampede & prayers for the quick & complete recovery of all those injured, National Conference (NC) vice president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah wrote on Twitter.
NC Chief Farooq Abdullah said it was an extremely tragic incident at the holy place and expressed the hope that authorities will swiftly identify the causes and address them.
The PDP faulted the police and administration and said such mismanagement has been unheard of in recent times. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families who lost their loved ones & pray for speedy recovery of the injured, the party said in a tweet. I am also saddened by the tragic accident at Vaishno Devi & neither the administration nor police are carrying out their duties. Instead, they are engrossed in threatening people into silence. My condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti tweeted. Congress J&K unit Chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir and Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone said that incident was unfortunate and expressed their condolences to the bereaved families.
Senior Congress leader and former Minister J&K Yogesh Sawhney has also mourned demise of more than dozen people in a tragic incident at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan, terming it an ‘unfortunate incident’. Extending deepest and sincerest condolences to families of deceased, Sawhney prayed for early recovery of all injured persons. “Families of deceased must be given Rs 50 lakh compensation and injured should be provided free treatment for earliest recovery,” he added.
Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu also expressed grief over the incident.
Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan at Katra due to a stampede. My heartfelt condolences with the families of the deceased and my prayers for those who are injured, Mattu wrote on Twitter.
National Conference Provincial President, Rattan Lal Gupta has also expressed grief over unfortunate incident. In a statement issued here, Gupta expressed sympathies with bereaved families besides praying for peace to departed souls and speedy recovery to all injured. He blamed the administration and management of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board for its failure to regulate the pilgrimage.
Expressing deep shock over the incident, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) J&K Executive Member Raman Suri has said that it was a very unfortunate incident that has sent shock waves across nation and needs a thorough probe so that the guilty could be punished. Suri sought adequate compensation for the next of kin of the deceased persons and asked Government as well as shrine board authorities to take best possible care of injured persons. Leaders of Shiv Sena Jammu & Kashmir unit expressed deep grief and sorrow over the demise of 12 devotees at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. J&K UT President Manish Sahni said that Shiv Sainiks across the nation including the party high command are deeply shocked by loss of lives in Shrine complex and wish a speedy recovery of all injured.
Convener Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Trade & Industries Cell Jammu and Kashmir, Sham Lal Langar has also expressed grief over the incident. In a press statement issued here, BJP leader said that prima facie it appears that anticipating heavy rush on New Year eve, Shrine Board failed to make adequate arrangements. He said that the tragic incident should serve as a wakeup call for Shrine Board and it should come up with fool-proof measures and arrangements for handling heavy rush of devotees.
Raj Kumar Goyal, Vice President of Jammu and Kashmir Ladakh UT of Republican Party of India also expressed grief over deaths in the stampede at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. He said that on the auspicious occasion of New Year such a painful incident has shook the entire country.
Vaishno Devi pilgrimage going on smoothly: Official
Katra: The Vaishno Devi pilgrimage is going on smoothly with strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs), including COVID-19 guidelines, despite a stampede that claimed 12 lives and left over a dozen injured, a senior government official said on Saturday. Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Raghav Langer said bodies of four victims of the stampede were dispatched to their native places, while the process to send the rest of the bodies was in progress.
Langer, along with Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Mukesh Singh, visited Katra the base camp for pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine to take stock of the situation. Langer and Singh are part of a high-level committee formed under instructions of Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha and headed by the principal secretary (home) to inquire into the stampede at the shrine.
“The (Vaishno Devi) Yatra has resumed (after the stampede) and is going on smoothly,” the divisional commissioner told reporters at Katra as the committee visited the town to begin its probe. On complaints of mismanagement and violation of COVID-19 guidelines, the officer said the Yatra is in progress with strict adherence to the SOPs.
On the reasons that led to the stampede, Langer said the L-G has ordered a high-level probe. “The committee has started its work and will share the details as the probe progresses,” he said. Langer said the administration and the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board have released helpline numbers to facilitate family members of visiting pilgrims who wanted to get in touch with their dear ones. The Divisional Commissioner said bodies of all deceased persons have been identified, and relatives of 10 have already been contacted so that the bodies can be dispatched to their home towns. “We are dispatching the bodies of the deceased to their home town with full respect. Two bodies have already been dispatched to Haryana and Nowshera in Rajouri district (J&K). Two more bodies were also sent off to Delhi,” he said. The Divisional Commissioner said the condition of all the injured persons is “stable”. “Out of 15 injured admitted to the Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital at Kakriyal, four were discharged and the rest are stable,” Langer, who along with other members of the committee visited the hospital to enquire about the condition of the pilgrims, said. He said the priority of the administration is to provide the best possible treatment to the injured. “The condition of all the injured is stable and a team of doctors are monitoring them,” he added.
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.
According to an official spokesperson, Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor, who is also the Chairman of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, was informed about the incident at 3:00 am and since then he has been continuously monitoring the situation.
The Lt Governor has extended his condolences over the loss of lives due to the tragic incident and also constituted an inquiry committee headed by Principal Secretary (Home) to probe into the incident.
“Deeply pained at the loss of lives due to stampede at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. My condolences to the families of the deceased & prayers with the injured. Spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Briefed him about the incident. The Prime Minister has assured all the help. Ex-gratia
of Rs.10 lakh each would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to stampede and Rs.2 lakh to injured. Shrine Board to bear the cost of treatment of injured. A high-level inquiry has been ordered into today’s stampede. The Inquiry Committee will be headed by Principal Secretary (Home) with ADGP, Jammu and Divisional Commissioner, Jammu as members,” Lieutenant Governor had tweeted.
Later, the Lieutenant Governor visited Narayana Superspecialty hospital to meet the injured pilgrims. “Visited Narayana Superspeciality hospital to meet injured pilgrims. According to doctors, they are stable & being monitored by senior health staff. Directed Doctors & senior admin officials to provide the best possible care to the patients. Out of 16 injured brought to Narayana Hospital, 9 have been discharged and 7 are being treated by the doctors. Praying for their speedy recovery,” Lieutenant Governor said in a tweet.
The Lieutenant Governor has already announced an ex-gratia relief amounting to Rs. 10 Lakhs to the next of kin of the pilgrims who have lost their lives in this tragic incident. Also, relief of Rs. 02 Lakh has been announced for the injured pilgrims.
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.
Most of the deaths have taken place due to suffocation, police said, adding among the deceased seven are from Uttar Pradesh, three from Delhi and one each from Haryana and J-K. 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.
Singh had told PTI that preliminary information from the scene suggests there was a minor altercation among some boys, and within seconds, there was a stampede.
“Police and officials of the civil administration were quick to respond, and the order within the crowd was immediately restored, but by that time, the damage had been done,” said the DGP, who accompanied the Minister of State in the PMO, Jitendra Singh, during the visit to the shrine after the stampede.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said innovative measures are required to deal with the new trend of youngsters eager to visit the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine on the first day of the new year.
The minister also visited the injured devotees undergoing treatment at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital at Kakriyal.
“Traditionally, the pilgrims used to come on the festival days like Navratras, Dussehra and Deepavali. This is a new trend and we have to take measures accordingly (of youngsters visiting on New Year),” he said.
Prem Singh, from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, said there was a “complete mess” as neither was the number of pilgrims restricted nor were COVID-19 guidelines enforced.
“It was a free-for-all-like situation. Many people were without mandatory face masks,” he said, claiming that police personnel on duty at the checking point surrendered to the heavy rush and were warning people about the possibility of such an accident.
“Nothing but mismanagement was the cause for this tragic accident. They were aware about the possible rush but allowed the people in unhindered,” a pilgrim from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh said while waiting outside a mortuary to identify a body.
Many people were resting on the floor, instead of heading back, and this led to overcrowding and chaos at the site, he said.
Senior officials present at the scene said 12 people died in the stampede and their bodies were taken to a hospital in the Katra base camp.
The deceased have been identified as Dheeraj Kumar (26 years) son of Tarlok Kumar, resident of Nowshera area of Rajouri district in J&K; Shewata Singh (35 years) wife of Vikrant Singh, resident of Ghaziabad, UP; Viney Kumar (24 years) son of Mahesh Chander, resident of Baderpur, Delhi; Sonu Pandey( 24years) son of Narinder Pandey, resident of Baderpur, Delhi; Mamta (38 years) wife of Surinder, resident of Beeri Jharjar, Haryana; Dharmveer Singh (35 years) resident of Salapur, Saharnpur, UP; Vaneet Kumar (38 years) son of Vhirampal Singh, resident of Saharanpur, UP; and Dr. Arun Pratap Singh (30 years) son of Sat Parkash Singh, resident of Gorakhpur, UP; Desraj Kumar (26) of Rajouri district; Mohinder Gour (26), Narinder Kashap (40) and Monu Sharma (32) of Uttar Pradesh, Akash Kumar (29) of Delhi, the officials said.
Sixteen injured were admitted to the Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, and the condition of two of them was stated to be critical. Six were later discharged after first-aid, they added.
The injured have been identified as Rishikesh (23 years) Mumbai; Sumit (29 years) Pathankot-Punjab; Vikas Tiwari (35 years) , Mumbai; Ayush (25 years) of Channi-Jammu; Kapil 25 years) of Delhi ; Nitin Garg (30 years) of Ganga Nagar-Rajasthan; Unknown (35 years); Kiran (18 years) of Haryana; Ashish Kumar (25 years) of Prayag Raj, UP; Bhawar Lal Patida, (47 years) of Mandsur, MP ; Sahil Kumar ( 22 years) of R.S Pura, Jammu; Unknown (25 years); Adhaya Mahajan (16 years) of Channi Himmat, Jammu; Prashant Hada (30 years) of Jaipur-Rajasthan and Sarita ( 42 years), Delhi, they said.
Rani Devi of Bihar’s Muzaffarpur said they were fortunate to escape death.
“I saw many people lying on the floor and was heartbroken,” she said, blaming the tragedy on the “uncontrolled” crowd of pilgrims.
Another man, who lost his friend Arun Pratab Singh (30), said they had come from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. Aditya Sharma, a pilgrim, said some people who were sleeping on the floor got crushed in the melee.
An hour after the incident, pilgrims were again allowed at the site, the officials said, adding the yatra was not disrupted.
Following the incident, many pilgrims were seen leaving Katra without visiting the shrine.
“We are from Pathankot. We returned from the bhawan without ‘darshan’ due to the stampede,” said Rekha, who was accompanied by five other family members, including three children. Prime Minister Modi said that the central government is in constant touch with the J-K administration to assist the affected people.
The JK administration has announced a relief of Rs 10 lakh to the deceased and Rs 2 lakh to the injured which will be paid by the Shrine board.
The PMO tweeted that “an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. The injured would be given Rs 50,000: PM @narendramodi”. While most of the devotees undertake the arduous trek to the shrine, some reach there by helicopter service.