Pratapgarh stampede: Initial report blames local authorities, ashram for incident
By ANISaturday, March 6, 2010
LUCKNOW - The preliminary report of investigation in Pratapgarh stampede blamed the local administration and the ashram authorities for the incident.
On Thursday, 63 people were killed and over 100 were injured in a stampede during an annual fair in the Kripalu Maharaj Ashram in Mangarh village of Pratapgarh District.
The Allahabad Divisional Commissioner is conducting the investigations in the stampede case.
The report says the local administration did not take proper steps to control situation before and after the incident.
The report opined that the authorities should have deployed more personnel to control entry and exit points of the temple ground.
The report also says that the ground was not large enough to accommodate 10, 000 people.
It also noted that the Kripalu Trust did not seek permission to hold the event from the local administration.
But the ashram claimed that it had submitted a letter to the District Administration about holding the event and crowds were expected.
The ashram trust also blamed the administration for not deploying adequate personnel to control the crowd.
The final report is expected to be submitted next week. (ANI)
