Were Warnings Ignored? Vaishno Devi Tragedy Probe To Investigate Pilgrim Deaths

In the middle of a political gale and charges of negligence, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday formed a three-member committee to probe the conditions under which 34 pilgrims were killed in the landslide at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine on August 26. The committee, headed by Additional Chief Secretary Shaleen Kabra, has been asked to submit a detailed report within two weeks.

Chief Minister Questions Shrine Board’s Actions

The setting up of the inquiry committee follows Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah publicly wondering why the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board, which is led by the L-G, failed to halt the pilgrimage despite weather alerts.

“When we were aware of the weather, did we not take certain measures to save their lives?” Abdullah said while visiting flood-affected areas. “Why were these people on the track? Why were they not prevented? Why were they not shifted to a secure location? This has to be addressed later. We grieve over the loss of precious lives.

Seconding the CM’s appeal, senior National Conference leader Ajay Sadhotra demanded a speeded-up judicial probe, asserting the tragedy was an “avoidable” result of the administration and shrine board’s “failure to act with foresight.”

Shrine Board Denies Allegations, Calls Incident ‘Unforeseen’

In a statement, the Shri Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board dismissed the charges, saying the cloudburst followed by the landslide was an “unpredictable and unforeseen” natural act. The board claimed that the site of the accident was “one of the safest” on the old track and that it had already shut down the more vulnerable new track (via Tarakote) on August 24 owing to weather conditions.

The board’s release further asserted that all prudent precautions were taken, and that the yatra was put on hold before the tragedy occurred. The IMD’s Srinagar Centre has issued a warning of “extremely heavy” rain for eight districts of the Jammu province, including Reasi where the shrine is located, on August 25. Following this warning, the Directorate of School Education had directed the closure of all government and private schools throughout the province on August 26.

Bureau Report