Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The State government has issued show-cause notices to eight senior officials, including the former North Goa Collector Sneha Gite, IAS, and SP (North) Akshat Kaushal, IPS, in connection with the stampede at the Devi Lairai Zatra that claimed six lives and left several others injured in the early hours of May 3.
The notices were issued following the findings of a fact-finding committee headed by Revenue Secretary and Commissioner Sandeep Jacques, IAS. The committee’s report held the district administration, local police, temple committee, and the Shirgao panchayat collectively accountable for crowd mismanagement that led to the tragic incident.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant made the report public during a press conference on Tuesday evening, where he was joined by Chief Secretary Dr Candavelou. Sawant confirmed that the report found several administrative and operational lapses across agencies.
“The report highlights failures in strategic crowd control, lack of coordination among police personnel, and inadequate infrastructure, such as the absence of watchtowers,” Sawant said. He also noted that the pathway where the stampede occurred was too narrow and lined with stalls, further contributing to the chaos.
The temple committee was also criticized for its failure to cooperate with the administration in planning for the large turnout. The local panchayat was held responsible for issuing NOCs for stalls without proper site assessments or inspections.
In line with the findings, show-cause notices have been served to the then Bicholim Deputy Collector, Bicholim SDPO Jivba Dalvi, Bicholim Mamlatdar, the secretary of Shirgao panchayat, and the Police Inspectors of Bicholim and Mopa police stations, in addition to Gite and Kaushal.
Meanwhile, the police investigation into the FIR filed against unidentified persons continues.
