Deogarh stampede: NHRC notice to Jharkhand top cop

The National Human Rights Commission today issued a notice to the Jharkhand police chief over the death of 10 devotees in a stampede in Deogarh earlier this month.
"The Commission has observed that the incident, if true, raises serious questions of violation of human rights of the victims and shows ineptness of the police force.
"Accordingly, a notice has been issued to the Director General of Police, Jharkhand, calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks," a statement from the NHRC said.
Ten devotees were killed and 70 injured in a stampede at Baba Baidyanath Dham temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand when thousands of pilgrims had queued up to offer water on the Shivalinga in the early hours of August 10.

"Reportedly, a group of kanwariyas tried to force themselves forward and a policeman used his stick to disperse them resulting in a stampede.
"According to the media report the eyewitnesses alleged that erratic behaviour of security personnel controlling the crowd and darkness were factors behind the tragedy. The local MLA reportedly stated that police constables who manage the crowd are not trained to handle them," the statement added.