President Ram Nath Kovind expressed his grief over the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, early Saturday. The incident caused 12 deaths and 20 injuries. Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is monitoring the situation.

Jammu and Kashmir Police Chief Dilbagh Singh told the news agency ANI that the stampede occurred at around 2:45 in the morning. “According to the initial report, a quarrel broke out, causing people to push each other, followed by a stampede,” he said. The incident occurred near Gate No. 3 outside the Sanctuary of the Temple on the top of Trikuta Mountain.

On the first day of the new year, a large number of believers gathered for Dashan at the Shrine.  Vaishno Devi is one of the most respected Hindu temples in India, visited by thousands of people every day. The Deputy Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, said that a high-level investigation into the stampede has been ordered. The investigation will be led by the Chief Secretary (Interior Affairs), with ADGP (Jammu) and District Commissioner (Jammu) as members.

Sinha also announced 1 million rupees for the family members of the victims in the incident and 200,000 rupees for the relatives of the injured. The central government also announced a special offer of 200,000 rupees for the family of the deceased and a special offer of 50,000 rupees for the injured family members.

The pilgrimage to the shrine, which was temporarily stopped after the stampede, has now resumed.

The chief priest of the temple, Pandit Sudarshan, urged the pilgrims to remain calm and avoid creating chaos at Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan.

The cave shrine is located at an altitude of 5,200 feet in the Reasi district and usually attracts nearly 1 million worshippers each year.

The operation of the pilgrimage site is managed by the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, which provides battery cars and ropeway services for pilgrims to reach the top of Trikuta in Dashan.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times