Maha Kumbh Stampede: Judicial Commission To Visit Site On Friday

At least 30 devotees claimed lives in the pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh Sangam area on Wednesday on the auspicious day of Mauni Amavasya.

Lucknow:The three-member judicial commission set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the Maha Kumbh stampede will visit the site on Friday, panel head Harsh Kumar, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court, said.

Kumar also said that the commission has a month to wrap up its investigation but will try to expedite it. Kumar and panel members former director general of police (DGP) V K Gupta and retired IAS officer D K Singh reached the office assigned to them here and began their work on Thursday, an official statement said.

"We have taken charge within hours of the announcement as the probe has to be taken up on priority," Kumar told PTI. Asked about the timeline for the probe, he said, "We have a one-month timeline but all the same, we will try to expedite it."

Asked if the three members will be probing separate aspects, Kumar said, "We will discuss this amongst ourselves. Can't go into detail right now." Later, the panel members also interacted with the media on Thursday.

"Tomorrow (Friday), we will visit the site to conduct an inspection and analyze the possible causes and circumstances surrounding the incident. We will carefully consider all factors and are required to submit our report within one month," said Kumar.

Two other panel members, Gupta and Singh, were also present during the briefing. Talking about the probe, Kumar explained, "First, we must examine the causes. The solution will come only after we identify the root cause. Initially, we will focus on understanding the causes, and then we will propose preventive measures for the future."

At least 30 people were killed and 60 injured in the pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar.

According to police, the incident took place as the crowd jumped barricades, crushing those waiting on the other side.