Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 2: Leaders of several political as well as social organizations expressed sorrow and anguish over the stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra, in which 12 pilgrims lost their lives and 13 others got injured.
Expressing grief and anguish over the unfortunate incident of stampede at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, senior Congress leader and former Minister Jugal Kishore Sharma demanded a judicial inquiry to ascertain the reasons behind the incident and identify the culprits.
“My heart goes out to the families who have lost their near and dear ones in the tragic incident that occurred at the shrine for the first time because of mismanagement on part of the administration and alleged lathicharge on the pilgrims,” he said in a statement.
State president of Hindustan Shiv Sena Vikrant Kapoor also expressed deep grief over incident. He urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh each to the dependents of the deceased. Along with this, he also demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter to find out the reasons behind the incident.
The workers of Dogra Front & Shiv Sena under the leadership of their president Ashok Gupta took out a candle march to pay tribute to the people who lost their lives in the Stampede. Gupta also expressed grief over the loss of lives and condolences to the bereaved families.
Senior Kashmiri Pandit leader Anil Dhar expressed deep anguish and grief over the tragic stampede incident at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. “It is a heart wrenching incident, unheard of at the Bhavan of Shri Mata Vaishno Deviji and our hearts go to the families who lost their dear ones in the tragedy”, Dhar said in a statement issued here. He expressed sympathies with the bereaved families, prayed for peace to the departed souls and wished speedy recovery to the injured.
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