Families of the two women from West Bengal who died in the stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela early Wednesday have said that they have not received any death certificates and have instead been given a piece of paper mentioning that the body has been handed over to them.

Two elderly women from West Bengal — Basanti Poddar (60) of Golf Green in Kolkata, and Urmila Bhuniya of Salboni in Paschim Medinipur district — succumbed to injuries suffered during the stampede on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.

Poddar’s son, Sourav, said that he and his family members were waiting to take a dip in the river when suddenly there was a huge rush of people. “…There was a push and we all fell down and then I don’t remember anything… Once I got up, I found my sister and aunt, but my mother was missing… She died at the ghat… We have been told that later a death certificate will be sent to us by post,” Sourav told The Indian Express.

Urmila Bhuniya’s brother Dulal also said that no death certificate was issued for his sister by the UP government. “I came to know about the incident when my nephew telephoned me. He told me that no death certificate was issued and the body was handed over to him along with a note,” Dulal was quoted by PTI, as saying.

Reacting to it, TMC minister Arup Biswas said: “They (the UP administration) should have handed over the death certificate. This is not the process.”  Biswas, who is the MLA from Tollygunge where Poddars reside, said: “There was no plan for the safety and security of the devotees.” Local councillor Tapan Dasgupta said: “I will ensure that they get the compensation announced by the UP government.”

On Wednesday, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased.