High-Level Probe Ordered After 12 Trampled to Death In Stampede in India's Jammu and Kashmir

12 pilgrims died and 16 were injured in a stampede on Saturday, as throngs of thousands emerged at the Vishnu Devi Mata Temple in Jammu and Kashmir to mark the beginning of the New Year.
Sputnik
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will hold a meeting with the Vaishno Devi Shrine Board chairman on Sunday and is expected to check all the security arrangements at Vishnu Devi Mata Temple after 12 pilgrims were crushed to death in a stampede.
Earlier on Saturday night, Sinha ordered a high-level inquiry into the stampede incident, which will be headed by the Principal Secretary and Commissioner of the Union Territory. The panel has been asked to submit its report within a week.
A local media report suggests that the stampede was triggered after a minor scuffle between a few pilgrims.
Furthermore, it has also been alleged that there was a heavy influx of devotees on New Year.
The cave shrine is situated at an altitude of 5,200 feet and is one of the most revered Hindu shrines in the country, attracting close to a million devotees every year.
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