Rumour of fallen live wire triggered Gandhi Maidan stampede, says report

A panel probing the stampede at Bihar's Gandhi Maidan on Saturday said that the mishap occurred when a rumour of a fallen live wire spread among the crowd in the ground.

Bihar's Principal Secretary (Home), Amir Subhani, along with Additional Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey said that an investigation was initiated in which families of the victims and authorities at the site were questioned.

"There was a rumour at the incident site that a live wire had fallen. Although there was no current supply in the cable but the rumour was spread among the huge crowd, which prompted a rush and the stampede took place. People started falling on each other as a result of which many died and many were injured," said Subhani.

Subhani said that Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi would initiate action on the basis of report submitted to the state government.

"There was a non-functional high mast light in the area, there was no other light facility near the gate, very few magistrates (officials) were deployed in the area and many of them were not present at the site when stampede occurred," Subhani added.

Additional Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey said that senior officials should monitor areas before commencement of any event to avoid such incidents in future.

"There should be a watch tower installed at every gate, which can control the crowd and CCTV cameras should be installed along with sound system and light to monitor the crowd," said Pandey.

Several people were also left injured in the stampede at the Gandhi Maidan during the Dussehra celebrations.