Madhya Pradesh HC orders CBI probe into Datia stampede

The Gwalior bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court today ordered a CBI probe into the last month's Ratangarh temple stampede tragedy in which 115 people had died.
A division bench of Justice S K Gangele and Justice G D Saxena ordered the investigation on a petition filed by an RTI activist, Gaurav Pandey.
The petitioner said though the state government has constituted a Judicial Commission and the State's Human Rights Commission is also probing the matter, the victims would get justice only if the CBI conducts investigation into the tragedy.
The bench has also fixed a four-point mandate to CBI: Whether police was taking bribe from pilgrims for allowing them to pass through the bridge; if any rumour was spread that the bridge is about to collapse; whether policemen have thrown dead pilgrims and injured ones into the Sindh river and whether there was a negligence on the part of police before and after the tragedy.

The court also directed the CBI to probe the role of then collector and SP, besides other officials, since suspended, in connection with the incident.
The incident occurred on October 13 when lakhs of devotees were trying to cross a narrow bridge on Sindh river to pay obeisance at the famous temple of goddess on the culmination of Navratri festival, in Datia district.