Vaishno Devi stampede: J&K LG Manoj Sinha announces additional Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for families of deceased

New Delhi: A day after 12 people died and several others were injured in a stampede at Vaishno Devi shrine, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday (January 2) announced an additional Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for the kin of the deceased. 

Sinha chaired a high-level meeting of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board on Sunday after which he announced an additional Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia, ANI reported. Earlier, a compensation of Rs 10 lakh was declared for the family of the victims. Now, the kin will receive compensation of a total of Rs 15 lakh. 

LG Jammu & Kashmir Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level meeting of the Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board. He has announced an additional Rs 5 lakhs as ex-gratia to the next of kin who lost their lives in yesterday's stampede — ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2022

Moreover, as many as 16 were injured in the stampede at the Vaishno Devi shrine, out of which nine were discharged from the hospital. The incident occurred around 2:15 am near gate no. 3 at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan on Saturday. 

As per the police, an argument broke out which resulted in people pushing each other, followed by the stampede. Leaders across political parties condoled the tragedy. 

Meanwhile, a three-member panel has been set up to probe the stampede at the Vaishno Devi shrine and has been directed to submit its report to the Jammu and Kashmir government within a week. The committee is headed by the principal secretary (home), and also consists of Jammu Divisional Commissioner Raghav Langer and Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Mukesh Singh. “The Committee shall examine in detail the causes/reasons behind the incident (stampede) and point out the lapses and fix the responsibility thereof," the order issued by General Administration Department Principal Secretary Manoj Kumar Dwivedi said. 

(With agency inputs)

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