PM Bengal rally tent collapse: Probe team finds 'faults' in local authorities

An inquiry conducted by a central team to assess the circumstances leading to the collapse of a tent during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in West Bengal's Midnapore has blamed the local authorities for the alleged lapses and said adequate cooperation was not provided to the advance security liaison team, officials said today.

The inquiry report, submitted to the Union Home Ministry, suggested that not enough state police personnel were deployed within the five km radius of the Prime Minister's function.

The central team also submitted that the Special Protection Group (SPG), which guards the Prime Minister, provides security in the inner arch of the Prime Minister while the responsibility of giving security in the outer layers rest with the state government in which the local authorities allegedly failed, an official said.

The enquiry has also found that proper logistical help was not given to the advance security liaisoning team which visited the state two weeks before the Prime Minister's visit.

During their interactions with the state government officials, the findings of the team was refuted by the local authorities saying it had deputed 1,000 personnel for Modi's rally and all cooperation was offered to the advance security team, another official said.

The makeshift tent, erected next to the main entrance of the rally venue to shelter people from rain, collapsed when Modi was midway through his speech on July 16.

The prime minister later visited the hospital where the injured, including 50 women, were undergoing treatment.