No such data maintained centrally: Union Minister Nityanand Rai on Maha Kumbh stampede death toll

While 30 people were killed in a stampede at the recently concluded Maha Kumbh, the government — in Parliament on Tuesday — skirted a direct response to a question on the number of casualties during the mishap at the religious congregation.

Congress lawmakers in Lok Sabha KC Venugopal and Kirsan Namdeo during Question Hour, sought to know the number of persons killed and injured during the recent stampede at the Kumbh Mela and the details of steps taken by the authorities to investigate its causes.

The two MPs also sought to know the details of judicial inquiry or other investigations initiated to determine the responsibility for the incident.

In a written response to the queries, Minister of state for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said that ‘public order’ and ‘police’ are state subjects as per the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India.

"Organisation of religious congregations, crowd management, provision of amenities to devotees, prevention of any type of disaster during the congregation, etc are closely linked to ‘public order’ which is a state subject. Conducting inquiry into any type of disasters occurred in a state, including stampedes and provision of financial assistance to families of deceased devotees and injured persons, also come under the purview of the state governments concerned. State governments are competent to deal with such situations. No such data is maintained centrally," Rai said in his response.

Incidentally, the opposition led by the Congress on Tuesday had protested Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on Maha Kumbh in Lok Sabha, over non-inclusion of the stampede incident in it.