Perhaps fitting that Central govt has no data on Maha Kumbh stampede

An inquiry into the Maha Kumbh stampede (or stampedes, according to some reports) was conducted by the Uttar Pradesh government and no data on casualties or injured victims has been maintained by the Central government, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai shared the information while replying to a question by Congress MPs K.C. Venugopal and Kirsan Namdeo on the number of people killed and injured in the stampede and the steps taken by the authorities to investigate the causes.

Rai said "public order" and "police" were state subjects, according to the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.

Speaking outside Parliament on Tuesday, Venugopal said, "When the Budget session started from day one, we were asking for a discussion on Kumbh. They did not give us a chance to discuss it. They totally ignored our demand for a discussion on Kumbh.

"There is a procedure that the House should be informed about. Without informing the House, suddenly the PM came and made a statement about Kumbh. What was the secrecy all about? The leader of the Opposition also wanted to contribute. It is the tradition of the House. This is totally undemocratic. I don't know why they are coming with all these agendas. They don't want the House to run smoothly."

Inside the House, Rai said the organisation of religious congregations, crowd management, provision of amenities to devotees, prevention of any type of disaster during congregations etc are closely linked to "public order", which is a state subject, he added.

"Conducting of any type of inquiry into any type of disasters occurred in a state, including stampedes, and provision of financial assistance to families of deceased devotees and injured persons, also come under the purview of the concerned state governments. State governments are competent to deal with such situations. No such data is maintained centrally," Rai said in a written reply.

The Union minister said the National Disaster Management Authority had circulated detailed guidelines on crowd management at events and venues of mass gathering. Guidelines on crowd control were also issued by the Bureau of Police Research and Development.

Perhaps it was this that prevented the House from adopting a resolution to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the stampede?

Rai said the Union home ministry had issued an advisory to all states and Union territories, advising them to use these templates to prepare their own standard operating procedures for crowd management and devise a checklist for the appropriate authorities.

Uttar Pradesh deputy inspector-general of police Vaibhav Krishna had said the 29 January stampede during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj left 30 pilgrims dead and 60 injured, a figure widely contested by eyewitnesses (including ambulance drivers), though no alternative figure has emerged.

Rai's roundabout response seems on point with the state's BJP government's initial, flat denial that the stampede had happened at all. However, given the massive media contingent and countless eyewitnesses, it became impossible to suppress, which is when the government finally acknowledged the tragedy.

Though the official death toll remained stuck at 30, independent media sources — apart from the aforementioned eyewitnesses — suggested otherwise. Dainik Bhaskar and Reuters reported 40 bodies in hospitals, while a Newslaundry investigation uncovered a list of 79 dead — none of whom appeared in official records.

Reports also emerged of next of kin being handed bodies of their loved ones without death certificates, and others running from pillar to post to find out what had happened to 'missing' family members. In short, the final toll may never be known. No wonder the Centre doesn't have the figures!

With PTI inputs