Probe to be conducted into reports of minor stampede: DGP

Allahabad, Feb 11 (PTI) A day after contradictory reports emanated from official quarters about a minor stampede at ongoing Kumbh Mela here claiming two lives, the Uttar Pradesh police chief today said he was seized of the matter and a proper inquiry would be conducted into the episode. "We have received reports that two persons were killed in a minor stampede yesterday in Sector 12 of the Kumbh Mela area," DGP Ambarish Chandra Sharma told reporters here. "According to the information we have, the dead were a woman from UP and a man from West Bangal. We will conduct an inquiry to find out the truth," he said. The DGP was speaking at a press conference in presence of UP Chief Secretary Javed Usmani and members of the state Cabinet Balram Yadav and Durga Prasad Yadav. Yesterday, the death of a woman hailing from Varanasi and a man from 23 Parganas district in West Bengal in a stampede in Sector 12 was confirmed by Sector Magistrate Abhay Raj. However, in a joint statement IGP, Allahabad Zone, Alok Sharma, and Allahabad Divisional Commissioner Devesh Chaturvedi had claimed "there is no death in Kumbh due to stampede." "It may be possible someone has died due to disease or wounds before going to snan or after returning from there," the statement said. PTI NAC RKC RKC