At least a dozen pilgrims died and 15 others were injured after a stampede occurred at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in the Katra area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on Saturday.
The incident occurred at around 2:45 am on the first day of the New Year, when a large number of devotees queued to have ‘darshan’ (glimpse) of sanctum sanctorum inside the cave shrine on Trikuta hills in Katra, officials said. A “minor altercation among some young boys” amid a massive rush of devotees triggered the stampede.
Twelve pilgrims lost their lives and 15 were injured in the incident, they said and added the rescue operations started immediately and all the injured were shifted to hospitals, where the condition of four among them is stated to be critical.
“Preliminary information from the scene suggests that a minor altercation among some young boys led to the stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in which 12 people unfortunately died," J&K Police chief Dilbag Singh said.
Eight of the 12 people killed in the incident were identified as 26-year-old Dheeraj Kumar, 35-year-old Shweta Singh, 24-year-old Viney Kumar, 24-year-old Sonu Pandey, 38-year-old Mamata, 35-year-old Dharmveer Singh, 38-year-old Vaneet Kumar and 30-year-old Arun Partap Singh.
Jammu and Kashmir government led by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha ordered a high-level inquiry into the stampede. The inquiry committee headed by J&K Principal Secretary (Home) has been asked to submit its report to the government within a week. The Committee has been asked to point out the lapses and fix the responsibility thereof, besides suggesting the measures to prevent reoccurrence of such incidents in future.
While the survivors blamed “mismanagement” and “poor deployment of policemen to regulate pilgrims” for the tragedy, the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board denied the charge, saying all necessary arrangements were made given the expected rush of pilgrims.
The pilgrimage resumed after a brief suspension and was going on smoothly with strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs), including Covid-19 guidelines, officials said.
J&K government announced an amount of Rs10 lakh and the Center Rs two lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives in the stampede while the injured will be provided Rs 2.5 lakh.
Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, visited the shrine to take stock of the situation. “We are exploring the possible use of technology to avoid such incidents in the future,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and J&K LG also expressed their condolences.
“Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Spoke to JK LG Shri @manojsinha_Ji, Ministers Shri @DrJitendraSinghJi, @nityanandraibjp Ji and took stock of the situation,” Modi tweeted.
Amit Shah in a tweet said: “The tragedy due to a stampede at Mata Vaishno Bhawan is heart-wrenching. Anguished by the loss of lives due to it. My condolences to the bereaved families in this sad hour. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
Mata Vaishno Devi is a religious pilgrimage atop a hilltop in Katra town of Jammu that attracts millions of devotees from across the world every year.
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