Death toll in stampede touches 115; Cong asks CM to quit

As the death toll in the stampede during Navratri festivities near a temple in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district climbed to 115 today, Congress today targeted Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan demanding his resignation for the "man-made" tragedy.
The stampede, which also left over 100 injured, was triggered by rumours yesterday that a river bridge the devotees were crossing was about to collapse.
"So far, we have received reports of 115 deaths in the stampede," Deputy Inspector General (DIG) D K Arya told PTI from Ratangarh.
The DIG said a number of people, who had carried away the bodies of their near and dear ones, are now turning up for autopsy, which is mandatory for seeking compensation.

An inquiry commission would be set up within the next two days to probe the stampede near the Ratangarh temple, Chouhan said after meeting injured persons at a hospital in Datia.
The state government had ordered a judicial inquiry into the mishap which was a shocking re-run of the tragedy at the same site in 2006 when over 56 pilgrims were washed away after water was released in the Sindh river from upstream.

After the 2006 tragedy, the state government had constructed a bridge over the river but mishap took place on it allegedly due to poor mismanagement of the crowd that gathered in lakhs from the nearby districts and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

Accusing the state government of "misgovernance" for the stampede, opposition Congress demanded that the chief minister step down.
In Delhi, party spokesperson Ajay Maken said the tragedy was "man-made" which could have been stopped.
"A stampede had happened over five years ago at a similar place which left many people injured. The MP government learnt no lessons from it. Its misgovernance and rampant corruption lies at the roots of the tragedy. It should take moral responsibility and the CM should resign," Maken said.
Datia district's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) R S Gupta said that autopsies on 111 bodies were conducted till morning.

Police had earlier said that 89 people, including 31 women and 17 children, were killed in the mishap.
Arya, while noting that the death toll could go up, said that over 100 people were also injured.