Stampede Victims Receive Compensation in Northern India
- 14 years ago
On Wednesday, the chief of India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh declared monetary compensation for the victims of the stampede at a temple in which 65 people died recently.
[Mayawati, Chief of Uttar Pradesh, India]: (Female, Hindi)
"My government has announced a sum of 250,000 rupees for the next of the kin of the dead and 75,000 rupees to those who were seriously injured.”
Many of the victims that died were women and children.
The stampede was triggered by a massive rush for free food and clothes at a temple on Thursday in one of the state’s districts.
A gate also collapsed, causing the crowd to panic as they tried to escape through a narrow corridor. Some people were crushed to death under the gate, while others tripped and came under the feet of the rushing crowd.
The federal government was criticized for failing to provide the compensation immediately.
[Mayawati, Chief of Uttar Pradesh, India]: (Female, Hindi)
"With an aim to take the credit, the Congress-led federal ruling government, just a day after the stampede had announced a compensation of 200,000 rupees to the family of the dead and 50,000 rupees to the injured but that announcement remained an unfulfilled promise. The state government is yet to receive any aid from the federal government."
On Friday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced compensation for the injured and deceased, while conveying condolences to the families of victims killed in the temple stampede.
In India, stampedes are relatively common at temples, where thousands gather to pray during holy festivals.
In 2008, at least 285 people were killed in two temple stampedes in the northern region of the country.
[Mayawati, Chief of Uttar Pradesh, India]: (Female, Hindi)
"My government has announced a sum of 250,000 rupees for the next of the kin of the dead and 75,000 rupees to those who were seriously injured.”
Many of the victims that died were women and children.
The stampede was triggered by a massive rush for free food and clothes at a temple on Thursday in one of the state’s districts.
A gate also collapsed, causing the crowd to panic as they tried to escape through a narrow corridor. Some people were crushed to death under the gate, while others tripped and came under the feet of the rushing crowd.
The federal government was criticized for failing to provide the compensation immediately.
[Mayawati, Chief of Uttar Pradesh, India]: (Female, Hindi)
"With an aim to take the credit, the Congress-led federal ruling government, just a day after the stampede had announced a compensation of 200,000 rupees to the family of the dead and 50,000 rupees to the injured but that announcement remained an unfulfilled promise. The state government is yet to receive any aid from the federal government."
On Friday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced compensation for the injured and deceased, while conveying condolences to the families of victims killed in the temple stampede.
In India, stampedes are relatively common at temples, where thousands gather to pray during holy festivals.
In 2008, at least 285 people were killed in two temple stampedes in the northern region of the country.