Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has blamed the police, local administration and State Government for the stampede near Ratangarh Temple in Datia district of the State.
At least 115 people were killed and over 100 injured in the stampede near the temple on Sunday, which was triggered by rumours that the bridge the devotees were crossing was about to collapse.
Singh, in a tweet last night, alleged that the “police was charging `200 from every tractor to allow them entry into the no-traffic zone.” “Is this what they call good governance in Madhya PradeshIJ” he asked.
He said the BJP-led State Government had learnt no lesson from the tragedy at the same spot in 2006. Over 56 pilgrims had been washed away at the same site in 2006 after water was released in the Sindh River from upstream.
After the 2006 tragedy, the State Government had constructed a bridge over the river, but the mishap took place on it allegedly due to poor mismanagement of the crowd that gathered in lakhs from the nearby districts and neighboring Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress leader and former Chief Minister of the State expressed his grief over the tragedy.Singh criticised the Shivraj Singh Chouhan led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government of the State and said that despite a stampede near the temple in 2006, the police and the administration were caught napping.
He said, "Postings of collectors and SPs in districts are made on the basis of the money they fetch."
"This is a common practice in the BJP regime and those getting postings in this fashion care two hoots for action in the event of a lapse on their part. I am told that policemen were taking `200 for letting tractor-trolleys pass the bridge, which led to the stampede," he added.