SHANGHAI, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Shanghai authorities are accused of censorship and intimidation to limit government criticism after a deadly New Year's Eve stampede.
Dozens of people who posted comments online have been questioned by police, and interviews of family members of victims have been limited.
The strategy serves as a warning to those who would spread rumors and so the police can maintain social order, a police officer told the South China Morning Post.
Interviews of victim's family members have been interrupted by people who say they're hospital volunteers. They claim the interviews were "improper," disturb the family members and affect the ability of the hospital to care for patients.
Hundreds of officers were deployed to the location where the stampede happened after protesters went there accusing the government of negligence.
Family members of the victims protested outside a government building Sunday and demanded compensation and for the bodies of the victims to be released.
At least 36 people died and 49 were injured on Dec. 31 after a stampede broke out in an area known as The Bund in Shanghai's Chen Yi Square.
The Shanghai government said 25 people remain in the hospital, seven of which are seriously injured.
Police said they underestimated the size of the crowd which reached about 300,000 people.
