UP Haj panel fails to inform relatives

The Uttar Pradesh Haj Committee is yet to inform any of the bereaved families in the State. When The Indian Express visited Nahargarh, a small village on the Sultanpur-Rae Bareli border, today the news of the deaths had not filtered down yet. Neighbours said ‘‘Shareef Bhai’’ and his wife would return. A village elder Ghufran got angry when told about the tragedy. The chief development officer and acting district magistrate of Sultanpur, I P Rai, had no knowledge of the deaths either. ‘‘I have no official information,’’ he said.

In Lucknow, it was the same story. ‘‘News of my mother’s death was conveyed to me late last night by my friend Nadeem, who is based in Jeddah,” said Mohd Azam Hanafi, son of Seerat Fatima who was among the three dead from Lucknow.

In Gorakhpur, son of victims Mohd Idris, 65, and his wife, Rukhsana Begum, 55 Tanveer got the news from residents Yaqub Khan and his wife, who had also gone for Haj. ‘‘The news of my parents’ death was flashed on a TV channel at around 9 am today,” he said.

Secretary of the UP Haj Committee, Javed Aslam, maintained: ‘‘Without verifying the news from the Indian mission in Saudi and Haj Committee in Mumbai, official confirmation of the deaths cannot be given to the bereaved families.’’ Meanwhile, questions have been raised about the committee’s decision not to send helpers with the Hajis.

(With inputs from Manoj Singh in Gorakhpur)