Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 1: At least 12 pilgrims were killed and 15 others injured in a stampede outside the sanctum sanctorum of the holy Vaishno Mata temple atop the Trikuta Hills, about 50 kilometres from Jammu in the wee hours of Saturday.
While some eyewitness accounts blamed the “mismanagement” by the temple authorities and an unprovoked police lathi charge for the stampede, the first in the history of the Vaishno Devi temple, the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board denied the allegations. The authorities claimed that huge rush of pilgrims had gathered at the temple on the occasion of the New Years’ Day and some “minor altercations” between two groups of youths had led to the stampede. Some of the bodies crushed to death were of those who were sleeping or resting on the floors of the temple “Bhawan,” the eyewitnesses said.
The authorities claimed that additional security measures because of the expected huge rush due to the New Year was very much in place but more than 50,000 people had gathered near the “Bhawan” which had the capacity to handle about 20,000 pilgrims. The authorities have identified eight of the 12 victims of the stampede who hailed from Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh besides one local resident of Jammu. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “personally monitoring and keeping track of the tragic situation,” a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
The Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh blamed it on the “minor altercations” between two groups of youths for the “unfortunate incident.” But the eye-witnesses disagreed. “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 dead body.
Eyewitnesses said situation aggravated after a few policemen resorted to mild lathi-charge to control the situation.
Fifteen people had sustained injuries, 13 serious ones, and were taken to the Narayana Super Speciality Hospital. Two have been discharged following treatment.
Some of the eye-witnesses said the stampede was caused due to the failure of the authorities to read the situation and allowed both incoming and outgoing pilgrims to use the same gate of the Bhawan which led to local clash and subsequent stampede. Some of the pilgrims said the tragedy could have been avoided if the authorities concerned had managed the pilgrimage better. Many people were resting on the floor, instead of heading back, and it caused more rush at the Bhawan, he added. Another pilgrim said some people who were sleeping on the floor got crushed in the stampede.
“It was a free-for-all-like situation. Many people were without mandatory face masks,” another visitor said. Claiming that police personnel on duty at the X-ray checking point surrendered to the heavy rush and were warning people about the possibility of such an accident. However, many people were seen waiting in long queues to visit the shrine as the pilgrimage continued unaffected.
Chief executive officer of the shrine board Ramesh Kumar, was among the first to reach the scene to take stock of the situation and visit the injured at the Narayana hospital. Another official of the board said adequate arrangements, including security, were in place due to the expected rush of pilgrims.
The DGP said preliminary information from the scene suggests there was an altercation among some young boys, and within seconds, there was a stampede situation. “Police and officials from 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,” he said.
Senior BJP leader and former legislator Devender Singh Rana, who interacted with the pilgrims here to take stock of the situation, said the incident was the first of its kind to take place at the shrine. “This is no time for allegations or counter-allegations. It is a tragedy that has happened and nobody should play politics over it,” he added.
The Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha has ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. A three-member team, led by Principal Secretary Home and including the Divisional Commissioner and Additional DGP of Jammu, has been constituted.
Sinha, who is also the chairperson of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, announced an ex-gratis of Rs 10 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh each for the injured.
Sources said that the Shrine Board had officially issued 35,000 ‘yatra parchis’ (slips) which is mandatory for undertaking a pilgrimage on the Vaishno Devi track.
Expressing his condolences, the Prime Minister said, “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.”