The probe report on the stampede on October 3 that left 33 dead has blamed the district administration on several counts. The inquiry report, submitted to the Chief Minister, has also made recommendations for avoiding such incidents in future. The report said rumours and molestation attempts exacerbated the stampede that occurred during Vijaya Dashmi at Gandhi Maidan here. District police, civic authorities and traffic management were also held responsible. The stampede had taken a place near the southern gate of the Gandhi Maidan after hundreds of thousands of people came out after watching the Vijaya Dashmi celebrations of Ravan Vadh. Most of the victims were women and children and 29 others were injured.
“It was a collective failure of Patna district administration, civic authorities and the Patna traffic police. Our report has also recommended administrative and disciplinary action against the erring officials found responsible for the tragedy,” said Amir Subhani, principal home secretary of the State.
Soon after the stampede, the State government had formed a two-member inquiry committee comprising Mr. Subhani and then Additional Director General of Police (headquarters) Gupteshwar Pandey. Both officers, however, denied any terror angle in the report.
Addressing media persons, Mr. Subhani further said eyewitness accounts and other facets of the enquiry also revealed that a cable TV wire had fallen on the ground near the exit gate opening towards Ram Goolam chowk, giving rise to rumours of electrocution danger.
“And, at the same time a big crowd was coming out from that direction and it caused the stampede. People fell on each other and got trampled to death,” added Mr. Subhani.
Besides, there was no detailed crowd management plan for the event and the high-mast light in the area was not working; additional lights were not installed; deputed magistrates were not in adequate number and some of them even absent from duty, said the State home secretary.
Earlier, while taking the prima facie action against the erring officials, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi had removed all top district officials of Patna. Some of the doctors of the government hospital Patna Medical College and Hospital too were punished for reported slackness in their duties.
Another member of the probe team, Gupteshwar Pandey, said they had also recommended that the Vijaya Dashmi programme he held at two places in the State capital to dilute the big crowd.
False report: BJP
Reacting over the Patna stampede probe report submitted to the government, the Opposition BJP has termed it as a “completely false and useless report”.
“It’s a completely useless and fabricated report to save officials responsible for it. Not even a single official has been named in the report for being responsible for the stampede,” alleged senior State BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi.
