She said death would be destinys call

He recalled how they had planned to visit all holy places and started with Shirdi last year. They would have been in Vaishno Devi on Wednesday but fate had something else in store.

Neighbours of Shakuntala Shukla,72,also from Chhattisgarh,said she had insisted on attending the ceremony. As Shuklas pyre was lit,a neighbour said,When family members told her that it would be crowded and exhausting for her age,she insisted that if she died it would be destinys call.

Eyewitnesses of the stampede at Chandidweep Ghat said the incident took place when a barricade separating the mens and womens queues gave way and a woman fell down.

The local administration has registered a case of criminal negligence against the organisers,Gayatri Pariwar,and ordered a magisterial probe. It said the actual cause could be ascertained once the probe report is out.

Haridwar DIG Sanjay Gunjyal said,We had issued an advisory on the precautionary measures. It is now a matter of investigation whether the organisers followed them or not8230;. Internal crowd management was to be handled by them.

The death toll went up to 20 out of which 17 died in the stampede. The three other cases,though not directly related to the stampede,were being counted in the toll as they were reported from camps set up to accommodate the devotees. One of them suffered a cardiac arrest.