Overview

• Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha set up a three-member panel led by Additional Chief Secretary (Jal Shakti) Shaleen Kabra, with the Jammu divisional commissioner and IGP as members.
• The committee will examine causes of the August 26 Ardhkuwari landslide, identify any lapses, review rescue and relief efforts, and recommend SOPs, with a report due in two weeks.
• Thirty-five pilgrims died on the Vaishno Devi track near Ardhkuwari, and about 20 others were injured.
• Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary questioned the decision to allow the yatra during adverse weather alerts and called for FIRs and a higher-level inquiry.
• The Shrine Board said the yatra was suspended by noon on August 26 before the cloudburst, as protests in Katra accused authorities of over-commercialisation.