‘UP govt yet to issue death certificates of Kumbh stampede victims from Bengal

Kolkata: Desh Banchao Ganamanch on Friday urged the Uttar Pradesh government to issue death certificates to the families of six Bengal citizens who died in the Kumbh stampede, criticising the Yogi Adityanath government for allegedly not showing concern and demanding a probe into the January 29 incident.

“According to the Bengal government, six people from the state died and six others went missing in the stampede.

But the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has not given any update about the status of the six missing pilgrims, possibly to keep the death toll within 30 and to avoid giving compensation to the kin of victims,” former Minister and Desh Banchao functionary Purnendu Basu told reporters. At least 30 people were killed and 60 injured in a pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area of Maha Kumbh on January 29 as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar.

“We demand the UP government issue death certificates for each of the stampede victims, give compensation to their families and revise the death toll. We demand a high-level probe into the incident,” he said.