JAMMU, Aug. 29 -- A day after chief minister Omar Abdullah raised questions on allowing Vaishno Devi pilgrims on the hilly trek amid severe weather warnings, deputy chief minister Surinder Choudhary on Thursday blamed lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and the chief executive officer of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine board for the death of 34 pilgrims.

He said that the pilgrims didn't die in the landslide but were "killed under a criminal conspiracy".

Fielding media queries after visiting the damaged fourth bridge over the Tawi river in Bhagwati Nagar area, Choudhary said, "LG Manoj Sinha is the chairman of the shrine board. When there were severe weather alerts then it was the duty of the CEO to suspend the yatra but they didn't do it"...