RailEnquiry

Lucknow: Both UP Government and railway authorities today failed to explain the reasons behind the Sunday stampede at the Allahabad railway station that left 36 dead and 39 injured.The authorities had earlier claimed that they were fully prepared to cope with the estimated three crore pilgrims expected to take the holy dip on Mauni Amavasya.“I had been monitoring the preparations for the Maha Kumbh. Something did not go as per the plan. The exact cause of the tragedy will come out in the inquiry report,” said Chief Secretary Javed Usmani in Allahabad.Usmani and DGP AC Sharma reached Allahabad this morning to carry out an on-the-spot inquiry at the railway station.Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also directed two Cabinet colleagues - Balram Yadav and Durga Prasad Yadav - to monitor the situation.The Chief Minister along with several Cabinet colleagues is at his ancestral Sefai village in Etawah to attend a family wedding.Sharing the terms of reference of the inquiry, headed by the chairperson of the Board of Revenue, ordered yesterday, Usmani said it would collect evidence to establish the chronology of the event, explain the reason and fix responsibility. The report, which will be submitted within a month, will also suggest a set of recommendations to prevent a repeat of such incidents.While both state government and railway officials desisted from commenting on the cause of the stampede, eyewitnesses claimed policemen used force while trying to control the unprecedented crowds at the railway station, leading to panic and subsequent stampede. Panchayati Raj Minister Balram Yadav said: “It’s our responsibility to take care of the injured and the family of the deceased.”

The second most important task before the government is to ensure quick handover of the bodies of the deceased to the next of the kin and release of compensation money.