UP sets up judicial commission to probe Varanasi stampede

Lucknow :  The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday constituted a one-man judicial commission of Allahabad High Court Justice Rajmani Chauhan (retd) to probe the stampede in Varanasi last week, an official said. Home Secretary Mani Prasad Mishra said the commission has been mandated to probe all aspects of the stampede at the Raj Ghat bridge on the banks on river Ganges on October 15, which left 25 killed and over 100 injured. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, he said, expects the commission to complete its probe in two months and submit its findings to the state government. An FIR has also been lodged against the Jai Gurudev sect leader Pankaj Maharaj. Several district officials, including the District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police, have been transferred after the tragedy.