Sushma Swaraj to visit Sabarimala Wednesday
By IANSTuesday, January 18, 2011
KOCHI - Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj will Wednesday visit the spot near the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala where 102 people lost their lives in a stampede, an official said.
The stampede occurred Friday night at Pulumedu near Vandiperiyar town where about 100,000 pilgrims had gathered to watch the revered Makara Jyothi light that appears on the horizon.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi could not make it to the spot after bad weather Sunday forced his helicopter to return to Kochi.
“She reaches Kochi Tuesday night and will travel by road to the accident site. A BJP delegation of MPs is also likely to reach the place and from there, they will visit the foothills of the Sabarimala temple at Pamba,” said a top BJP leader who did not wish to be identified.
A report on the incident would be submitted to the Kerala High Court by Thursday as directed, the state’s Director General of Police Jacob Punnoose told reporters.
The state cabinet is meeting in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram Wednesday and the clearance for demanding a judicial probe by a sitting high court judge is likely to be announced.
