Team Goemkarponn
SHIRGAO: In the wake of a tragic stampede during the annual zatra at Shree Lairai Temple that claimed six lives and left several others injured, the temple’s managing committee has denied any responsibility for the incident.
In a specially convened meeting on Sunday, the Mahajans of the temple refuted the findings of a government-appointed fact-finding committee, instead placing the onus on district authorities.
The committee meeting was held to review the government report, which had held the temple management accountable for significant shortcomings in crowd management and event planning. However, temple officials dismissed these conclusions as unfounded and biased.
“We have not yet received the official report. Our knowledge of its contents is limited to what’s been reported in the media, which we find baseless,” said Devidas Gaonkar, president of the Shree Lairai Temple Committee. He also questioned the credibility of comments made by former committee members regarding the issue.
Gaonkar claimed the committee took all necessary steps to ensure the zatra was conducted in a peaceful and orderly manner. He also contested the administration’s assertion that 250 police personnel were deployed at the event. “Local accounts indicate that only a handful of officers—around five—were present at the time of the incident. Reinforcements arrived only after the tragedy had occurred,” he said.
According to Gaonkar, senior officials, including the Deputy Collector and senior police officers, met with the committee on April 30 to issue instructions for the event. “Expecting full implementation of all directives within a day is unrealistic,” he added.
Despite distancing itself from the mishap, the temple committee has announced ex gratia relief: ₹1 lakh to the families of the deceased, ₹25,000 to those seriously injured, and ₹10,000 for minor injuries. Committee members have also pledged to personally visit the affected families.
