Mumbai residents file petition seeking NIA investigation into Elphinstone stampede

Mumbai residents Faisal Yusuf Banaraswala and Abdul Rehman Qureshi on Tuesday filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking a National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigation into the stampede at Elphistone Station that occurred on Friday, killing 23 people.

The petitioners state that according to a complained submitted, the police is required to "investigate the crime" keeping in view the possibility of soft terror attack by terrorists.

According to petitioners, the circulation of rumors of the Foot Over Bridge (FOB) collapsing that led to the stampede could be a trick played for soft terror attack.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) also demands that Centre and State government pay a compensation of not less than Rs 20 lakhs to the family of the victims.

Additionally, the PIL requests the court to direct the government to end physical and policy bottlenecks, and install facilities in the railway stations that can abate the unfortunate incident in future.

The PIL also requests the court to direct state government to take proper care of the admitted injured victims in the hospital.

23 people were killed and over 39 seriously got injured in a rush-hour stampede at Mumbai's Elphinstone railway station's foot over bridge on September 29.