Vaishno Devi shrine stampede: Three-member panel to submit report within a week

New Delhi, Jan 01: The three-member panel set up by the Jammu and Kashmir administration to investigate the stampede in Vaishno Devi shrine has been directed to submit its report within a week.

The committee headed by the principal secretary (home) was constituted by the Lt Governor Manoj Sinha following the stampede at the shrine atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district in the early hours of Saturday that left 12 pilgrims dead and over a dozen others injured.

In an order issued this evening on behalf of the J&K government, General Administration Department Principal Secretary Manoj Kumar Dwivedi said the high-level panel has been constituted to ascertain the reasons behind the tragic incident.

The other two members of the committee are Jammu Divisional Commissioner Raghav Langer and Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Mukesh Singh.

"The Committee shall examine in detail the causes/reasons behind the incident (stampede) and point out the lapses and fix the responsibility thereof," the order said. It said the committee would submit its report within a week's time to the government and also suggest appropriate standard operating procedures and measures for preventing the recurrence of such incidents in future.

Over a dozen people were also injured in the stampede at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine located atop Trikuta Hills, about 50 km from here.