Lucknow:
Days after 63 people - all women and children - were killed in a horrific stampede at an ashram in Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh, the blame game has begun on who was responsible. (Read & Watch: At least 63 dead in stampede at UP ashram)
There was a police outpost barely 50 metres from the ashram. Yet, when 15,000 people gathered and that too at a scheduled event, there was no attempt to manage the crowd, or bring in reinforcement. (Read: UP stampede - villages in mourning)
"Just a short distance away is the police outpost. All the people who gathered at the ashram had to have passed the outpost. Why didn't the police realise then?" said Swami Mukundanand, spokesperson for Kripalu Maharaj.
But Mayawati's administration has blamed the ashram.
"Action will be taken based on the report filed on the incident," said Principal Secretary Kunwar Fateh Bahadur Singh.
However, no action has been taken so far. And the man who runs the ashram is back at work. (Read: Priest flees Pratapgarh ashram after stampede)
"At Mathura, there is a programme to distribute money and food. The District Magistrate and the SP have visited the place. It is organised by the ashram there. This is a regular feature," said the Principal Secretary. (Read: UP ashram trust plans another community meal)
Clearly, there are no regrets on either side.
And it's not just the blame game, Mayawati has refused to shoulder even the compensation. Not only did she not visit the site of the stampede, she issued a press release saying: "The state does not have the money to compensate the victims' families. The emergency fund covers natural calamities, and not tragedies like stampedes."
After spending several hundred crores on constructing Dalit icons' statues across the state, Mayawati now says she has no more money to spare for the victims of the tragedy. In fact, as she gears up to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the party next week in pomp and style.
One thing's for sure, the Dalit victims of the stampede will not be joining in.(Read: Rahul visits grieving families in Pratapgarh)
There was a police outpost barely 50 metres from the ashram. Yet, when 15,000 people gathered and that too at a scheduled event, there was no attempt to manage the crowd, or bring in reinforcement. (Read: UP stampede - villages in mourning)
"Just a short distance away is the police outpost. All the people who gathered at the ashram had to have passed the outpost. Why didn't the police realise then?" said Swami Mukundanand, spokesperson for Kripalu Maharaj.
But Mayawati's administration has blamed the ashram.
"Action will be taken based on the report filed on the incident," said Principal Secretary Kunwar Fateh Bahadur Singh.
However, no action has been taken so far. And the man who runs the ashram is back at work. (Read: Priest flees Pratapgarh ashram after stampede)
"At Mathura, there is a programme to distribute money and food. The District Magistrate and the SP have visited the place. It is organised by the ashram there. This is a regular feature," said the Principal Secretary. (Read: UP ashram trust plans another community meal)
Clearly, there are no regrets on either side.
And it's not just the blame game, Mayawati has refused to shoulder even the compensation. Not only did she not visit the site of the stampede, she issued a press release saying: "The state does not have the money to compensate the victims' families. The emergency fund covers natural calamities, and not tragedies like stampedes."
After spending several hundred crores on constructing Dalit icons' statues across the state, Mayawati now says she has no more money to spare for the victims of the tragedy. In fact, as she gears up to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the party next week in pomp and style.
One thing's for sure, the Dalit victims of the stampede will not be joining in.(Read: Rahul visits grieving families in Pratapgarh)
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