Uttar Pradesh government orders judicial probe into Maha Kumbh stampede

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Wednesday ordered a judicial probe into the stampede during the Maha Kumbh pilgrimage in Prayagraj that resulted in the death of at least 30 persons.

“There is a need to get to the bottom of the accident,” Adityanath told reporters. “For this, a three-member judicial commission is being formed.”

The stampede broke out between 1 am and 2 am on Wednesday as a large number of pilgrims arrived to take a holy bath on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, a spiritually significant day in the Hindu calendar.

“Due to this crowd, the barricades on the other side broke and the crowd ran over the devotees waiting to take a holy dip on the other side,” said Vaibhav Krishna, the deputy inspector general of police overseeing the pilgrimage.

He added that apart from those who died, nearly 60 persons were injured.

Later in the day, Adityanath expressed condolences to the families of those who died and announced financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh for them.

He said that the judicial commission to probe the incident will be led by retired Allahabad High Court Justice Harsh Kumar and comprise former Director General of Police VK Gupta and retired bureaucrat DK Singh.

A separate inquiry will be conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Police,…

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