No sign of 'time-bound' probe in Kumbh tragedy

Administration trying to save guilty, says opposition

The ‘time-bound’ inquiry ordered by the Uttar Pradesh government in the stampede at Allahabad railway station, which killed 37 devotees, has not yet begun even after seven days of the tragedy, raising questions about the intention of the administration.

The chairman of the state revenue council Jagan Mathews, who had been asked to probe the incident, has not even bothered to visit the spot, the railway station, let alone recording statements of the witnesses and other officials, the sources said.

“It shows that the government is not serious about the probe and it is going to be a whitewash,” said Bahujan Samaj Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya.

‘Shielding the guilty’

While officials are silent over the matter, the opposition parties have expressed apprehension that this may be an attempt to shield the guilty bureaucrats.

UP chief secretary Javed Usmani had said the inquiry would be time-bound.

“The report of the inquiry will be submitted within one month,” he had said.

Usmani had refused to talk about the reasons behind the stampede and fix responsibility.
He had said a probe had been ordered and nothing could be done until the report was submitted.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader Hriday Narain Dixit also slammed the government for the delay in launching the probe.

Judicial inquiry

The opposition parties have been demanding a judicial inquiry into the incident.
A senior official associated with Mahakumbh administration when inquired about the delay in starting the probe, said, “We have no idea about it.”