Kamal Nath holds MP Govt. responsible for Ratangarh Temple tragedy

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath on Monday held the Madhya Pradesh Government responsible for the Ratangarh Temple stampede, and questioned as why no preventive measures were taken to avoid such 'man made' disasters.

Nath, who charged the Shivraj Singh Chauhan-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government of attempting to hide the truth from the people, also rubbished reports that the Congress Party was politicising the issue.

"There is no politics on this. It is extremely unfortunate that such an incident has taken place. This is not a natural disaster. Every year, such fairs and festivities take place. And, it is the responsibility of the administration, police and the state government to ensure that all this takes place appropriately," Nath told ANI here.

"The people are not being allowed to go there. What is the reason? So, there is no politics in this and it should not even take place. But the question is we should get answers from anybody over what has happened. A similar incident had taken place in 2006," he added, while asserting that the state government has not drawn any lessons from the past.

Nath said it is the total responsibility of the state government.

"No leaders are being allowed to go there because there is more to hide. Jyotiraditya Scindia was not allowed to go there, I saw it on the television," he added.

The Navratra festivities ended in tragedy when 110 pilgrims, including women and children, were killed and more than 100 injured in a stampede on a bridge leading to the historic Ratangarh temple in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district yesterday.

The disaster was a repeat of the 2006 stampede when more than 50 pilgrims had got washed away falling in panic into the Sindh River off the same bridge in 2006.

The stampede was triggered by rumours that the river bridge the devotees were crossing was about to collapse.

The Madhya Pradesh Government has ordered a judicial probe into the untoward incident.

Survivors alleged that some people spread the rumor that the bridge was on the verge of collapse, resulting in panic.