Katra: A sudden crowd of devotees gathered in the temple Vaishno Devi Some survivors blamed “mismanagement” for the tragedy, saying a stampede broke out at the temple here to mark the start of the new year, resulting in the death of 12 people.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine BoardHowever, denying the allegation saying that all necessary arrangements were made keeping in view the expected crowd, the Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir Dilbag Singh | Blamed a minor brawl for the “unfortunate” incident.
“The cause of this tragic accident was nothing but mismanagement. They were aware of the possible rush but allowed people without stopping,” said a pilgrim from Ghaziabad. Answer The state talked about identifying the dead body while waiting outside the morgue.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the situation could have been avoided had the authorities concerned had managed the pilgrimage better. “Similar situation happened a few minutes back but luckily no one was hurt and the situation was brought under control. We were part of a group of 10 devotees – all neighbours. A huge crowd created a stampede as people were moving in and out, and everyone was in a hurry,” he said.
He said that many people were resting on the floor instead of going back and this increased the congestion in the building. Another man, who lost his friend, Arun Pratab Singh (30), said that they had come from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. He said the building was overcrowded.
“I went to the temple about 10 years ago, but this time was surprised by the huge crowd. After the tragedy, we found ourselves helpless and there was no help till 6 am,” he alleged.
Shrine Board Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Kumar, who first rushed to the site to take stock of the situation and meet the injured at Narayan Hospital, could not be contacted.
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine BoardHowever, denying the allegation saying that all necessary arrangements were made keeping in view the expected crowd, the Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir Dilbag Singh | Blamed a minor brawl for the “unfortunate” incident.
“The cause of this tragic accident was nothing but mismanagement. They were aware of the possible rush but allowed people without stopping,” said a pilgrim from Ghaziabad. Answer The state talked about identifying the dead body while waiting outside the morgue.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the situation could have been avoided had the authorities concerned had managed the pilgrimage better. “Similar situation happened a few minutes back but luckily no one was hurt and the situation was brought under control. We were part of a group of 10 devotees – all neighbours. A huge crowd created a stampede as people were moving in and out, and everyone was in a hurry,” he said.
He said that many people were resting on the floor instead of going back and this increased the congestion in the building. Another man, who lost his friend, Arun Pratab Singh (30), said that they had come from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. He said the building was overcrowded.
“I went to the temple about 10 years ago, but this time was surprised by the huge crowd. After the tragedy, we found ourselves helpless and there was no help till 6 am,” he alleged.
Shrine Board Chief Executive Officer Ramesh Kumar, who first rushed to the site to take stock of the situation and meet the injured at Narayan Hospital, could not be contacted.
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