BJP demands probe by HC judge into Allahabad stampede

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday demanded that a sitting high court judge should probe the stampede at Allahabad railway station which killed 37 people on Sunday night.

A delegation of the party, led by Leader of BJP Legislative Party Hukkum Singh, met Governor B L Joshi at Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum in this regard.

The party alleged that though big promises and announcements were made by the ministers about preparations for the Maha Kumbh Mela, the tragic incident had exposed their claims.

Listing the points on which an independent inquiry should be conducted, the party questioned the government's arrangements about crowd control at the railway station and the inadequate number of buses.

The party demanded that a probe should be conducted about the actual reason behind the stampede, as eye-witnesses had alleged that it had happened due to lathi-charge by the police.

The party alleged that vehicles for transportation and ambulances were pressed into service only for Samajwadi Party leaders.

BJP also alleged that there was a complete lack of coordination between the Railways and the district and Mela administration.

Though a 175-bed hospital was present near the railway station, there were no doctors or stretchers around when the incident happened, indicating the insensitiveness of the Railways, the party claimed.