Rajnath demands a judicial commission to probe Meerut tragedy

Meerut, Apr 11 (UNI) BJP President Rajnath Singh today demanded that a judicial commission be set up to probe into the devastating fire tragedy at a trade fair in Meerut yesterday.

He said the Commission should be time bound and the person heading it should be approved by the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court.

Mr Singh, who visited the local hospitals here and enquired about the health of the injured, said the treatment should be provided free of cost.

The BJP president alleged the administration was trying to cover up the exact death toll even as a number of people were still missing. ''A number of women and children were unaccounted for in the death toll,'' Mr Singh added.

He further termed ''shameful and deplorable'' the decision to use bulldozers to clean the accident site without completing the investigations at the scene.

Mr Singh said DNA test should be done to establish the identities of the bodies which were burnt beyond recognition.

He said party MLAs and MPs from Uttar Pradesh will be contributing one month salary towards the treatment and medical expenses of the injured.

Amid conflicting reports official sources said as many as 60 people, including women and children, were charred to death and about 119 injured as a devastating fire swept through a crowded Brand India Consumer Show at the Victoria Park last evening.

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