Officers under fire for Naina Devi stampede

The Himachal Pradesh Govt will take disciplinary action against officials blamed in a probe for a stampede at a hill temple August 3 that killed at least 142 devotees.

The Himachal Pradesh government will take disciplinary action against officials blamed in a probe for a stampede at a hill temple August 3 that killed at least 142 devotees.

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The government Tuesday decided to implement the recommendations of the investigation report submitted by a top bureaucrat into the stampede at Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district, an official source said on Wednesday.

"The report blamed officials deployed in sectors 4 and 5 en route to the temple for their failure to regulate the flow of pilgrims," said the source.

He said the cabinet at its meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal decided to take disciplinary action against officials deployed in these two sectors.

The report pointed out that all devotees killed in the stampede were in these two sectors.

"In future all devotees will be required to get themselves registered at the entrance counters after which they will be sent in batches of not more than 200 to avoid any untoward incident. Special arrangements will be made during occasions like Navratras, holidays, Tuesdays, Saturday and Sundays to manage the rush," the report suggested.

The cabinet also decided that the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police would camp at the site during the fairs and crowded days and also submit a monthly report to the government about the implementation of the decisions.

It also decided that more infrastructural facilities would be created in and around the temple.