BEIJING — A New Year’s Eve stampede that killed 36 and injured 49 in Shanghai has grown into a political scandal that could shake the governing leadership of the city.
Pressure has been mounting from outraged residents demanding answers from the government over the past two weeks. Families of the victims recently sent city leaders a written statement criticizing them for a lack of planning, poor exchange of information and inadequate estimation of the numbers of police needed that night, Agence France-Presse reported.
Authorities have taken strong steps to quell that anger, concerned that it could turn into something dangerous for them or the ruling Communist Party. Chinese censors have issued rules for covering fallout from the stampede, according to the China Digital Times, which tracks government censorship instructions.
The stampede site has been sealed off from the public. A ceremony to mourn the dead last week at Shanghai’s Chenyi Square near the site was monitored by police. Some officers dragged family members away when they tried to talk to reporters.
Adding fuel to the anger, local media outlets reported last week that government officials from the district were spotted dining at an expensive Japanese restaurant on the night dozens died. For days, prices at the restaurant, which run as high as $628 per person, have been circulating on Chinese social media.
The much-feared Communist Party agency in charge of investigating corruption announced Wednesday that it is looking into the matter.
Some political analysts say the stampede might give President Xi Jinping an excuse to target and get rid of political enemies in Shanghai.
Shanghai’s leaders at first remained silent in the face of public outrage. But sharp criticism has prompted city officials to promise that they will investigate. Shanghai’s highest-ranking official, its Communist Party chief, Han Zheng, called the incident “a lesson of blood.”
