'Administrative failure': Congress slams ruling BJP

Uttarakhand Congress has slammed the state government over the Mansa Devi stampede, terming it as an “administrative failure” and sought a judicial inquiry into the incident under the supervision of a sitting judge of the high court.

- HT Correspondent

“This incident is not only a human tragedy but also stark evidence of administrative failure,” said state Congress president Karan Mahara.

He said that the temple typically witnesses a surge in devotees on the first weekend following Shravan Shivratri, a fact well-known to authorities. “Despite this predictable crowd, the administration made no concrete preparations. Many police personnel had been diverted to panchayat election duties, leaving the shrine inadequately secured”, he said.

“Standard crowd control protocols were ignored. The staircases, which are normally managed as one-way to control movement during high footfall, were left open from both directions...” he said