‘Shows apathy': Allahabad HC raps UP government for delay in disbursing Kumbh stampede compensation
The Allahabad High Court on Friday said that the delay in disbursing compensation to the families of those who died during a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela pilgrimage site in Prayagraj showed the Uttar Pradesh government's 'apathy to the plight of the citizens', Live Law reported.
A bench of Justices Saumitra Dayal Singh and Sandeep Jain also directed the state government to furnish details of the deaths and medical handling of those who died or were injured between January 28 and the end of the pilgrimage.
The Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state was also told to submit details of the number of compensation claims it had received and settled, and those that are pending.
The stampede had broken out at the Maha Kumbh on January 29 as a large number of pilgrims arrived to take a holy bath on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, a spiritually significant day in the Hindu calendar.
The state government has said that at least 30 persons were killed and 60 others were injured, although several media reports have suggested that the actual toll could be significantly higher.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath had announced financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh for those who died in the stampede.
The court was hearing a plea filed by the husband of one of the persons who died. It expressed concern that the woman's body had been handed over to her family without a postmortem being conducted.
The judges took note of the serious injuries reported on the woman, including a crushed rib cage, and questioned the lack of official documentation or communication with the family regarding the cause and circumstances of the death, Live Law reported.
The bench directed that medical institutions and authorities in Prayagraj be made parties to the petitions and directed them to file affidavits disclosing details of all patients and dead bodies that may have been brought to the facilities and those dispatched by them between the incident and the end of the Mela.
The bench was alarmed that the woman's body was handed over to the family in February but compensation was yet to be provided, according to Live Law.
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