Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday attacked the state government over the death of two devotees in a stampede-like situation at Mathura's Bankey Bihari temple during Janmashtami celebrations, blaming it on an "administrative failure" and a "Rs 27-crore loot" in the name of beautification.
The two devotees were killed and seven others injured in the early hours of Saturday, with District Magistrate Navneet Singh Chahal saying "prima facie, the cause of death is suffocation due to a heavy rush during the 'mangala aarti'."
In a statement issued from the SP headquarters on Saturday, Akhilesh Yadav alleged that "the accident took place due to corruption and administrative failure and the administration was aware that there is a huge crowd on Janmashtami festival but proper arrangements were not made to control it."
"The truth is that in the name of beautification of the area around Shri Banke Bihari temple of Vrindavan, the officials sitting in the Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad had looted Rs 27 crore and the devotees did not get any facilities," he said.
