Maha Kumbh Stampede: Judicial Probe Expanded To Cover Deaths And Property Loss

The state government expanded the Maha Kumbh stampede probe to include deaths and property loss, informing the court, which addressed concerns raised in the PIL.

Prayagraj:The state government has expanded the scope of the judicial investigation into the Maha Kumbh stampede, now including the deaths and property loss in the incident. On Monday, the state government informed a division bench of Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra about the expansion of the probe. Following this, the court addressed the concerns raised in the PIL regarding the stampede incident.

The PIL, filed by former General Secretary of the High Court Bar Association, Suresh Chandra Pandey, argued that the judicial commission initially had a limited mandate, excluding the loss of life and property. The petition demanded that the investigation should also determine how the incident occurred and propose measures to prevent such tragedies in the future.

In the previous hearing, the court had sought a response from the state government on the PIL’s demand for judicial oversight of the investigation and an accurate count of missing persons. The court questioned whether the commission's jurisdiction could be expanded to include identifying casualties and addressing other concerns related to the stampede.

The petitioner’s advocate, Saurabh Pandey, highlighted discrepancies in the official death toll of 30, citing various media reports and a press release by PUCL. He also pointed out that many families of the deceased are struggling to obtain death certificates, alleging that officials are demanding Rs 15,000 to issue certificates without conducting post-mortems.

Additionally, the advocate presented video evidence of ambulance drivers detailing the number of people transported to hospitals. He also argued that the stampede in Sector 21 and surrounding areas had not been adequately reported in official statements.

Responding to the PIL, the state government assured the court that all concerns raised in the petition were being considered by the judicial commission.