Bihar vows to punish culprits for ‘lapses’
Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan demands fair, independent probe into the incident. The stampede in Patna during Dussehra celebrations left 33 dead
Patna The Bihar government on Sunday vowed to punish those responsible for “lapses” that led to the stampede at theGandhi Maidan on October 3, leaving 33 people dead and 29 injured.
The government has instituted an inquiry into the tragedy and it is being conducted by Home Secretary Amir Subhani and Additional Director General of Police, Headquarters, Gupteshwar Pandey. “The state government is not going to spare anyone responsible for 'lapses' that led to the stampede outside the Gandhi Maidan,” Water Resources Department Minister Vijay Chaudhary said.
He said that the probe team would jointly hold a public inquiry at the district collectorate on October 7 to hear accounts of eyewitnesses and other people willing to depose. The government will also publish advertisements in newspapers appealing to people to share information, he said.
“There was just one passage for lakhs of people and that too was broken.... It is difficult to walk even in normal circumstances, so what could have happened during the stampede?” Paswan asked. He said according to information received by him, there were no basic arrangements at the venue like presence of emergency teams, NDRF, ambulance and medical teams.
FOUR OFFICIALS IN PATNA TRANSFERRED
Patna Two days after the stampede that left 33 dead, the Bihar government on Sunday transferred four top officials with effect from October 7. Those shunted out were Patna Divisional Commissioner N Vijaylaxmi, DIG Patna Range Ajitabh Kumar, Patna District's District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaj , an official notification said. Vijaylaxmi has been replaced with Tirhut Divisional Commissioner Narmadeshwar Lal. She has been asked to report to the General Administration (GA) Department till further orders, it said. The state government has also shifted Patna’s District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and asked him to report to the DA Department till his next posting.
Patna The Bihar government on Sunday vowed to punish those responsible for “lapses” that led to the stampede at the
The government has instituted an inquiry into the tragedy and it is being conducted by Home Secretary Amir Subhani and Additional Director General of Police, Headquarters, Gupteshwar Pandey. “The state government is not going to spare anyone responsible for 'lapses' that led to the stampede outside the Gandhi Maidan,” Water Resources Department Minister Vijay Chaudhary said.
He said that the probe team would jointly hold a public inquiry at the district collectorate on October 7 to hear accounts of eyewitnesses and other people willing to depose. The government will also publish advertisements in newspapers appealing to people to share information, he said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister and LJP Chief Ram Vilas Paswan sought an independent and fair probe into the stampede. In a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, he said in order to know the reasons that led to the stampede, there should be an independent and fair probe into the incident.
“There was just one passage for lakhs of people and that too was broken.... It is difficult to walk even in normal circumstances, so what could have happened during the stampede?” Paswan asked. He said according to information received by him, there were no basic arrangements at the venue like presence of emergency teams, NDRF, ambulance and medical teams.
FOUR OFFICIALS IN PATNA TRANSFERRED
Patna Two days after the stampede that left 33 dead, the Bihar government on Sunday transferred four top officials with effect from October 7. Those shunted out were Patna Divisional Commissioner N Vijaylaxmi, DIG Patna Range Ajitabh Kumar, Patna District's District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manu Maharaj , an official notification said. Vijaylaxmi has been replaced with Tirhut Divisional Commissioner Narmadeshwar Lal. She has been asked to report to the General Administration (GA) Department till further orders, it said. The state government has also shifted Patna’s District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and asked him to report to the DA Department till his next posting.
