JOIN USActor-politician Shatrughan Sinha has expressed deep shock at the stampede tragedy during Chhath festival here which left 17 people dead and demanded stringent punishment for those found guilty in the incident.
"I am deeply shocked at the tragedy here last evening in which 17 Chhath pilgrims, mostly women and children, died after a makeshift bridge caved in at Adalatganj Ghat," Sinha, in whose Patna Saheb Lok Sabha constituency the incident happened, told PTI.
Sinha, who is recuperating from a major heart surgery at Mumbai at doctors' advise, said his heart goes out to the grieving families. "I will try to come to Patna at the earliest even if doctors do not allow me to meet the heart broken families," the former Union Minister and senior BJP leader said.
Sinha, popularly known as "Bihari Babu", demanded a comprehensive probe into the incident to fix responsibility of the officials.
He also said stringent punishment should be given to those found guilty for the tragedy.
"The action should serve as strong deterrent for future so that nobody dares to be lax towards making arrangement for a grand festival like Chhath," he said.