Avinash Azad
As Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrives in Jammu on Sunday for a two-day visit, public anger is mounting over the death of more than 100 pilgrims in back-to-back tragedies at Machail Mata in Kishtwar and Mata Vaishno Devi in Reasi.
According to official figures, over 65 pilgrims lost their lives in a devastating cloudburst at Padar, Kishtwar on August 14, during the annual pilgrimage to Mata Machail temple. Within two weeks later, on, another 34 pilgrims perished en route to Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan after flash floods triggered landslides, despite weather advisories by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning of cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides across the Jammu region.
On Friday (August 29), the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB), Katra issued a statement attempting to downplay administrative responsibility, terming the tragedy a natural calamity. The Board claimed that all pros and cons had been taken into consideration and that “fair weather prevailed on the day” of the incident. “Helicopters from Katra to Bhawan operated routine sorties and no adverse weather advisory was in place,” the statement asserted.
However, within hours, Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, who also serves as Chairman of the SMVDSB, ordered the constitution of a high-level fact-finding committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary Shaleen Kabra. The panel has been directed to submit its report within 15 days.
The Shrine Board’s defense has not convinced many. Former IPS officer Basant Rath, sharply criticized the administration, calling the deaths an “administrative failure.” He alleged that despite bad weather conditions, the pilgrimage was allowed without adequate safety measures. Rath also questioned the government’s seriousness in acting on earlier tragedies. Referring to the 2022 stampede at Vaishno Devi Bhawan, he pointed out that no inquiry report has been made public to date, and then-CEO of SMVDSB, Ramesh Kumar, was instead elevated as Divisional Commissioner, Jammu.
Similarly, Advocate and activist Shakeel Ahmed, in a video message addressed to Lt. Governor Sinha, rejected the probe ordered by the administration. He demanded that the inquiry into the death of 34 pilgrims be conducted under the supervision of a “sitting judge of the High Court”. “We do not trust the inquiry you have ordered. We know the report will never see the light of day, just like the previous one after the stampede at Bhawan. Please request the Chief Justice of the High Court to appoint a sitting judge to probe the deaths,” Ahmed appealed.
The Home Minister’s visit comes at a time when public anger is brewing. Amit Shah is expected to visit both Mata Vaishno Devi Bhawan and Kishtwar, the two sites hit by calamity. Civil society groups and opposition voices are demanding that accountability be fixed at the highest levels of administration. In Kishtwar, survivors and locals have alleged that the district administration miserably failed to make adequate arrangements for the annual Machail Mata Yatra, handling it in a “casual manner.”
Similar allegations of mismanagement and poor preparedness have surfaced after the tragedy at Vaishno Devi, with numerous videos shared on social media showing the plight of pilgrims and the lack of timely response by the authorities. As the death toll mounts, the government faces mounting pressure to ensure transparent investigations and to prevent such tragedies in the future. For the families of over 100 victims, mere inquiries without accountability may not be enough.
