Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday targeted both central and state governments for the stampede that took place at Mahakumbh in Prayagraj. Yadav demanded strict action against the perpetrators and also against those who hide information regarding it.
During a discussion on the President’s Address in Lok Sabha, Yadav demanded that all parties convene to clarify the arrangements made for Mahakumbh. The Army should take over the disaster management and the lost and found centre for the event, he said. He insisted that Parliament be informed about the number of deaths, the affected people, food, water, and transport arrangements.
He pointed out that the government has not disclosed how many people died in the stampede and demanded to know the figure. Without mentioning it directly, he accused the “double-engine government” of hiding the numbers. Said Yadav, “Why were the facts kept suppressed and hidden if there was no guilt?… Those who claimed to be organizing a digital Kumbh are not even able to provide the digits of the dead.”
According to the official reports, 30 people died and 60 were injured in the stampede that occurred in the early hours of January 29. Yadav also alleged that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath only extended his condolences 17 hours after the incident, following the messages sent by both the President and the Prime Minister. He then suggested that the Parliament observe two minutes of silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the incident.
