Patna stampede: Government probe team holds district admin responsible
There was no detailed crowd management plan for the event
Patna: Lack of a detailed crowd management plan, poor civic amenities besides absence of district magistrates from duty were some reasons cited by the Bihar. Government probe panel for the October 3 stampede in the state capital in which 33 people were killed.
"During our probe we found several deficiencies in the arrangements due to which the stampede could not be checked.
After paying attention to all aspects of the incident we found that the district administration, district police administration, Patna Municipal Corporation and the traffic police were responsible for it," Principal Secretary Home department Amir Subbani told reporters here today.
The two-member probe team set up by the state government consisted of Subbani and Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Gupteshwar Pandey.
Subhani said there was no detailed crowd management plan for the event. The high mast light near the place of incident was not working, additional lights were not installed, deputed magistrates were less in number and some of them were absent from duty.
He also said the cow-catcher at the gate was damaged, loudspeakers had not been arranged to direct the movement of people, and traffic was not stopped to facilitate the exit of crowd from Gandhi Maidan.
Throwing light on the reasons which triggered the stampede, Subhani said eyewitness accounts and other facets of the enquiry revealed that a cable TV wire had fallen on the ground near the exit gate which sparked a rumour that electric current was running through it.
"A big crowd was coming out of the southern gate of Gandhi Maidan at that time and the rumour led to a stampeded. People fell on each other and got trampled to death," he said.
The Principal Secretary (Home) also said that eyewitnesses and relatives of the deceased and injured said that eve-teasing and attempts of molestation by miscreants and rowdy elements were also a reason for the commotion.
The stampede had occurred near the southern gate of the 62-acre Gandhi Maidan soon after the Ravana Vadh programme got over on October 3 this year, when the people who had come to watch the ceremony were exiting from the ground.
Subhani said the stampede probe report has been submitted to the state government and action will be taken against the erring officials within the procedure laid out in the service rules. He, however, did not disclose their names.
"The stampede was the result of collective failure, not because of any one person. Administrative and disciplinary action will be taken against the responsible officials. It is known who all are among them. The government will make a list of responsible people and take action," Subhani added.
ADG (Police Headquarters) Gupteshwar Pandey said the voluminous probe report submitted by them has recommended construction of watch towers at each of the four gates of the Gandhi Maidan to oversee any big programme organised there.
"Each of these watch towers will have a control room, CCTV camera to look into the crowd, public address system, arrangements for lights and other such things to facilitate organising big programmes smoothly," Pandey said.
The report recommended that the DM and SSP should visit the place at least 24 hours before any big event and see whether proper arrangements are in place or not.
"If not satisfied then the officials should either cancel permission to hold the event or ensure that the required arrangements are in place before the event starts," Pandey said.
He pointed out that 'Ravan Vadh' is a very important programme and the probe report has recommended that it should be held at two places in the state capital to divide the crowd, which comes from Patna and neighbouring districts to witness it during the festival time.
"During our enquiry we found out that two Ravan Vadh ceremonies were organised in the state capital, but this year one organised in the Patna city area was cancelled. This led to more crowd than expected converging at the Gandhi Maidan to witness the event," Pandey said.
The ADG ruled out any terror angle to the stampede and said no such connection was discovered during the probe.
The BJP had yesterday held a day-long dharna to protest the non-submission of probe report even after almost two months of the stampede.