The Hindu : 'Court of inquiry ordered into Lucknow tragedy'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 16, 2002

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'Court of inquiry ordered into Lucknow tragedy'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI MARCH 15. The Defence Minister, George Fernandes, said in Parliament today that a court of inquiry has been ordered by the Army's Central Command into the death of 21 youths during a recruitment drive in Lucknow on March 14.

The Prime Minister has declared ex-gratia relief of Rs. 1 lakh and the State Government also announced a matching grant for the families of those killed besides Rs. 25,000 each to those seriously injured and Rs. 5,000 each to those with minor injuries, said the Minister in a statement read out in both Houses of Parliament.

Narrating the events leading to the drowning of several jobless youth, the Minister said about 5,000 young men had assembled in the cantonment for the recruitment rally and over 100 of them were sitting on the concrete cover of a sewage tank. "Probably due to the overload, the sewage tank roof collapsed and several young men fell into the tank. Prompt rescue and relief operations were launched to save the victims. 21 bodies had been recovered and three of the seriously injured were being treated in the command hospital.''

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