Jodhpur: The stampede on the first day of Navratri in Jodhpur on Tuesday morning when at least 147 people died at the Chamunda Devi Temple is the second such major tragedy this year.
Earlier, a stampede outside the Naina Devi Temple in Himachal Pradesh in August this year left 145 pilgrims dead.
But the authorities seemed to have no learnt no lessons from the Naina Devi Temple tragedy.
In both the cases, a small narrow path to the temple was overcrowded with pilgrims and there was inadequate medical facility at both places.
Navratri is one of the biggest festivals and it was expected that there would be a heavy rush of pilgrims but it seems Rajasthan government was ill-prepared to deal with the rush.
Some unanswered questions:
- Why was Rajasthan government ill-prepared to deal with Navratri rush?
- Why was there no medical facilities for devotees?
- Why was there no power backup?
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has already ordered an inquiry into the stampede and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of the kin of those killed while the injured will be paid Rs 50,000.
Raje visited the temple and announced the probe will be carried out by an officer of the additional chief secretary rank.
Rajasthan Director General of Police KS Bains, too, said an investigation has been ordered into the tragic incident.
"It is being inquired. There were a large number of devotees and early morning there was a power failure. That is the cause of stampede. Some people slipped because of which there was a stampede," Bains said.
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