At least two dozen persons, 20 of them women, were killed and more than 50 injured in a stampede on an overcrowded bridge on the outskirts of Varanasi.
The incident took place on the famous Rajghat bridge when a large number of followers of the Jai Gurudev cult, were on their way to a two-day camp at Domri village along the banks of the Ganga.
People in large numbers had been brought in for the camp by the organisers, who had however, taken permission only for two to three thousand devotees, police said.
DGP Javeed Ahmed late on Saturday suspended five police officials, including SP City, SP Traffic and CO Kotwali Varanasi, for "gross negligence". Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav instructed the Varanasi commissioner to order a magisterial probe and announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia compensation to the kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 to those injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, MP from Varanasi, also sanctioned an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the victims’ kin and Rs 50,000 for the “seriously injured.”
The officials are probing the reasons behind the lapses. Mr. Modi expressed grief over the incident in his Lok Sabha constitu-ency. “I have spoken to officials & asked them to ensure all possible help to those affected due to the stampede,” he tweeted.
Offering her condolences, BSP chief Mayawati said the State government and the district administration should make better police arrangements during such programmes.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and the party’s chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit also offered their condolences.” The BJP’s state unit blamed the “failure of the administrative machinery” due to the infighting within the SP for the incident.
A spiritual Guru based in Mathura, known for amassing wealth and extravagant property, Baba Jai Guru had a cult following, which included Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh and his brother Shivpal Yadav.
This June, the cult’s members were in news after one of Gurudev’s disciples Ramvriksh Yadav and his followers clashed with the police, who tried to clear their encroachment in Mathura’s Jawahar Bagh.
(With PTI inputs)
