Heatstroke survivors are treated at the MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai, Monday, April 17, 2023, a day after at least 11 people died of heat stroke at the ‘Maharashtra Bhushan’ award ceremony. (PTI photo)
Pawar also said that the state government’s apathy is responsible for the deaths, and should be booked for “culpable homicide not amounting to murder”.
NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Thursday demanded a judicial inquiry into the death of people due to heat stroke during or after the Maharashtra Bhushan award ceremony in Kharghar.
Pawar, Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, made the demand after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde appointed a one-man committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Nitin Keer to probe the deaths of 14 people.
Pawar also said that the state government’s apathy is responsible for the deaths, and should be booked for “culpable homicide not amounting to murder”.
In a letter to Governor Ramesh Bais, Pawar urged him to direct the government to initiate an inquiry by a retired judge.
The leader of the Nationalist Congress Party said that it was initially reported that 14 people had died due to heatstroke, but later some reports suggested that the deaths occurred due to a stampede during the April 16 event.
Social worker Appasaheb Dharmadhikari was given the state’s highest award, Maharashtra Bhushan, at the hands of Union minister Amit Shah during the event in Navi Mumbai’s Kharghar area.
“People (who attended the event) did not get water and food for seven hours. Due to no plan for crowd control, the ambulance could not reach the spot in time. Despite the scorching heat, the function was organized in the open space. A company which had no prior experience of organizing such events was given the job, in which Rs 14 crore was spent.”
Pawar said the death toll could be more than 14, but officials were tight-lipped.
The leader of the opposition said that these were not natural deaths but due to the apathy of the government, therefore the government should be booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
He also demanded compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the kin of the deceased.
Pawar said that the injured should get free treatment and compensation of Rs five lakh each.
He also demanded that an expert committee be constituted to prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) to ensure that such incidents do not happen in future.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)