Collective failure of authorities blamed for Dusshera tragedy

Nearly two months after the Dusshera stampede left 33 dead, a government inquiry has blamed "collective failure" of civic and police authorities for the tragedy and said rumours and attempts of molestation and eve teasing led to the the crush.
Principal Secretary, Home, Amir Subhani said administrative and disciplinary action will be taken against erring officials as recommended by the inquiry panel, which found "administrative lapses" and ruled out any terror angle.
"During our probe we found several deficiencies in the arrangements due to which the stampede could not be prevented. 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," Subhani told a press meet here.

The probe report by him and Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Gupteshwar Pandey, who was present at the meet, pointed to collective failure of district administration, district police, Patna Municipal Corporation and traffic police for the tragedy.
The report, which was submitted to the government yesterday, has recommended administrative and disciplinary action against officials responsible for the tragedy.
The ADG ruled out any terror angle to the stampede and said no such connection was discovered during the probe.

"Eyewitness accounts and other facets of the enquiry revealed that a cable TV wire had fallen on the ground near the exit gate opening towards Ram Goolam chowk and a rumour about electric current running in it spread," Subhani said.

"A big crowd was coming out of the southern gate of Gandhi Maidan at that time and the rumour caused the stampede People fell on each other and got trampled to death," he said.
The stampede that occurred near the southern gate of the 62-acre maidan soon after the Ravan Vadh programme on October 3 evening left 33 people dead and 29 others injured. Most of them were women and children.
The government has already removed the entire administrative top brass of Patna district after the incident including Divisional Commissioner of Patna N Vijay Lakshmi, District Magistrate Manish Verma and Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj.