Kumbha Mela stampede: Bodies of two devotees reaches Belagavi
Bengaluru, Jan 30 (PTI): Bodies of the two devotees who died in the stampede at the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela have been handed over to their respective families after their mortal remains arrived at the Belagavi airport on Thursday evening, officials said.
The bodies of Aruna Khorpad (61) and Mahadevi Hanamant Bavanur (48) have been handed over to their families, they said.
Among the deceased also include - Jyoti Deepak Hattavar (44) and her daughter Megha Deepak Hattavar (24), the bodies of whom will arrive in Belagavi by midnight, the officials said.
"Among those who died at the Kumbh Mela, the bodies of two individuals have already arrived at Belagavi airport and have been handed over to their families. The bodies of the remaining two have reached Goa airport and will be transported by road to Belagavi by midnight," a senior official from the revenue department said.
Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting at Vidhana Soudha, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda expressed condolences to the families of the deceased on behalf of the government.
"The government has already borne all the expenses incurred in sending the bodies of the deceased from Delhi to Belagavi. Will also provide appropriate compensation. However, no compensation is equal to the loss of life. The government sympathises with the families," he said.
He said the department has received many calls on its helpline number which was opened to know about the whereabouts of those who went to the Mela from the state.
"Our officials are already in Delhi and are busy making all necessary arrangements for the tourists from Karnataka who were caught in the tragedy. Meanwhile, calls have also been received on the department's helpline. Based on that phone call, we have contacted those who went to the Kumbh Mela and most of them have been contacted".
"The phone of one of them who went to the Kumbh Mela from the Isha Foundation is ringing, but he is not answering the call. Therefore, the search for him is also ongoing," he said.
The minister also criticised the Uttar Pradesh government for not sharing timely details about those injured or died in the tragedy from the state.
"How many devotees from Karnataka have gone to the Kumbh Mela? Out of these, how many were involved in the tragedy? How many were injured? How many died? We have not received any information from the Uttar Pradesh government so far," he alleged.
"Therefore, Karnataka IAS officer Harshal Boyal himself went to the Kumbh Mela site, visited the local hospital there and is checking whether people from our state are injured," he explained.
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RCB beat MI by 18 runs after batters fire
Mumbai (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli blasted half-centuries as the defending champions beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
Salt (78 off 36 balls) and Kohli (50 off 38 balls) stitched together a 120-run stand for the opening wicket before Patidar scored a rapid 53 off just 20 balls as RCB posted 240 for 4.
In response, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 222 for 5, with RCB spinner Suyash Sharma (2/47) putting the skids on the home side with a double strike in the eighth over, from which they could not recover.
Sherfane Rutherford top-scored for MI with an unbeaten 71 off 31 balls.
While opener Rohit Sharma appeared to be struggling with a hamstring issue and had to retire hurt on 19, his partner Ryan Rickelton made 37, while Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Hardik Pandya (40) were the other contributors for MI.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 240 for 4 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 78, Virat Kohli 50, Rajat Patidar 53, Tim David 35 not out).
Mumbai Indians: 222 for 5 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 71 not out, Ryan Rickelton 37, Hardik Pandya 40; Suyash Sharma 2/47).
