Maharashtra govt to form one-member committee to probe award ceremony incident

Raigad (Maharashtra) [India], April 20 : The Maharashtra government on Thursday said it will put together a one-member committee to investigate the facts of the incident at a function to confer the 'Maharashtra Bhushan', the state's highest civilian honour, on April 16.

As many as 13 people, who attended the open-air event at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, died from heatstroke, the Chief Minister's Office informed earlier through a statement.

The committee, to be headed by the additional chief secretary of the Revenue Department, will submit its report within a month.

The committee will also make recommendations to the government on things that are to be taken care of in future when planning such events.

Earlier, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde declared Rs 5 lakh each as compensation for the next-of-kin of the deceased and added that his government will bear the medical expenses of those still undergoing treatment at the hospital.

"During the Dr Appasaheb Dharmadhikari Maharashtra Bhushan awarding ceremony held at Kharghar, some Shri members had to be shifted to the hospital due to heatstroke, unfortunately, 11 of them died while undergoing treatment, this is a very unexpected and painful incident and I pay tribute to the deceased Shri members. We share in the grief of their families," Maharashtra CM Shinde tweeted.

"As soon as I got the information about this incident, I immediately rushed to the MGM Hospital in Kamothe and spoke to the doctors as well as members who are undergoing treatment. The administration has instructed that the families of the members, who died in this unfortunate incident, will be given Rs 5 lakh each and the entire medical expenses of the members undergoing treatment will be borne by the government," CM Shinde added in his tweet.

"I have been monitoring the treatment of some Shri members admitted to the hospital and have given appropriate instructions to the administration and doctors. I pray for the speedy recovery of those still undergoing treatment," he tweeted.

The attendees, who came down with heat strokes at the ceremony, were admitted to Tata Hospital in Kharghar.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aditya Thackeray and NCP leader Ajit Pawar visited those, still undergoing treatment, at the hospital.

The Maharashtra Bhushan Award ceremony was attended by Union home minister Amit Shah, CM Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis.