3 member judicial panel to reach Maha Kumbh today to probe reason behind stampede

Members of the Judicial Enquiry Commission that has been set up to go into the reasons behind the tragic stampede at the ongoing Maha Kumbh that resulted in 30 deaths and injuries to 60 people on Wednesday, will reach Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj at around 1 pm on Friday. 

The team that left from Lucknow at around 8 am is expected to reach Prayagraj at around 1 pm on Friday.

After reaching Prayagraj, the Judicial Enquiry Commission will first hold a meeting at 2 pm with all the officials of the administration involved in the arrangements and management of the huge event and after that they will head for the site of the stampede.

The three-member judicial commission was set up by the government to investigate the causes of the stampede. The panel comprises Justice Harsh Kumar, former Director General V.K. Gupta, and retired IAS officer V.K. Singh.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh for the families of those who died in the stampede.

Incidentally, following the tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed before the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking legal action against authorities and officials for their “negligent conduct”.

The petition said the incident depicts the drastic condition and fate of people due to the lapses, negligence and utter failure of administration purported by the government authorities.

Apart from the “failure of maintaining and administering the supervision”, the plea alleged that the authorities had also failed in controlling the crowd gathered for the event.

Meanwhile, the UP government on its part invoked strict measures in Prayagraj on Thursday, a day after the crush took place in the Maha Kumbh Mela as crores of devotees descended in the Mela area for a holy dip on the Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Kumbh Mela.

The government has said that the stampede was triggered by devotees pushing against barricades in an attempt to reach the Sangam nose area.

Following the tragedy, the state government decided on five key changes which have been put into effect by the administration.

Entry of all types of vehicles is strictly prohibited in the Maha Kumbh fair area; no special passes will allow vehicle entry, eliminating any exceptions; a one-way traffic system has been enforced to streamline the movement of devotees; vehicles arriving from neighbouring districts of Prayagraj are being stopped at district borders to reduce congestion.

Entry of four-wheelers into the city is completely banned until February 4 to maintain order.

To further strengthen crowd management efforts, IAS officers Ashish Goyal and Bhanu Goswami were directed to reach Prayagraj as both bureaucrats played a key role in successfully managing the 2019 Ardh Kumbh along with Vijay Kiran.

During that event, Bhanu Goswami served as the District Magistrate and Vice Chairman of the Kumbh Mela Authority, while Ashish Goyal was the Commissioner of Allahabad, overseeing the management.

Additionally, five special secretary-rank officers with previous experience in handling large-scale events have been assigned to assist with Maha Kumbh operations.