Centre to send additional RAF personnel to Deoghar

The Centre on Monday decided to send two companies of Rapid Action Force to Deoghar, where a stampede killed 10 people, for better crowd management and security arrangements.

The decision came after Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and apprised him of the situation and requested for additional RAF personnel.

Singh asked Union Home Secretary L C Goyal to send two companies (around 200 personnel), in addition to the paramilitary personnel already deployed there. The state government has announced Rs two lakh as compensation to the families of each deceased while the injured will be given Rs 50,000. All injured will be given free treatment.

Singh condoled the loss of lives due to stampede and expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed in the stampede. “I pray for speedy recovery of the injured,” he added.

In Lok Sabha, Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav of RJD and Nishikant Dubey of BJP raised the issue and said there were very little facilities for devotees at the Deogarh temple where thousands gather to offer prayers. Both of them demanded that the area should be developed and proper facilities should be offered to the pilgrims to prevent such incidents in future.

With Monday’s incident, 1,475 people have been killed in 28 stampedes in the country since 2008 with the stampede in Chamunda Devi Temple in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur in September 2008 topping the list of casualties with 147. The Union Home Ministry once again reiterated the need to follow its guidelines preventing such incidents.