Two men escort an elderly during the stampede at Adalat Ghat in 2012. Telegraph picture

The inquiry committee appointed by the state to probe the Ravan Vadh stampede on Sunday quizzed senior administrative officials who were present at the spot during the Friday’s incident.

Officials, including former district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and former senior superintendent of police Manu Maharaaj, appeared before the committee comprising home department principal secretary Amir Subhani and additional director-general (headquarters) Gupteshwar Pandey. civil surgeon Dr K.K. Mishra also appeared before the committee.

Sources said the probe team recorded their statements, including information on deployment of forces, responsibilities given to different officers, the compliance and loopholes, if any.

“The formal investigation has started from Sunday and the officials concerned were summoned to depose before the probe team. An open court would also be held at Patna collectorate on October 7, in which witnesses of the stampede and the next of kin of the deceased have been invited to get their statements recorded,” said Pandey at the collectorate on Sunday.

The probe panel earlier visited the stampede spot at south Gandhi Maidan and met the relatives of the injured at Indira Gandhi emergency ward of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on Saturday morning.

Sources said the probe team would furnish its interim report to the state government within a day or two after the open court.

Chhath 2012 report

Appointing inquiry committees seems to have become more of a customary ritual in Bihar following any stampede incident. Even after the Chhath 2012 incident, the state had appointed a one-man committee comprising home department principal secretary Subhani on November 21, 2012.

However, Subhani in his report, which was tabled in the Assembly on December 5, 2012, had ruled out any administrative lapses and hinted at conspiracy behind the tragedy, which claimed 18 lives at Adalat Ghat on November 19, 2012.

“The report had categorically stated that rumours about a snapped electric wire falling into the Ganga and electrocuting the river water thereafter had triggered the stampede. However, the probe into the incident by Subhani revealed that no electric wire had fallen into the river, nor had any makeshift wooden bridge collapsed during the incident,” said a senior government official.

Deliberating on the “conspiracy” angle highlighted by the probe report, the government official said: “The report also mentioned about an individual identified as Ashok Ghosh, who used the telephone number of an electricity office to report about the falling of the wire and asked officials to snap the power supply. As part of the conspiracy, some unidentified persons closed the iron gate in south of a temple at Adalat Ghat at the time of the stampede. The probe also hinted at a “mysterious” political leader as well.”

Blame game

The Chhath 2012 investigation report had ruled out administrative lapses and the ongoing probe might also follow the same path as senior officials are denying any loophole from their end.

Former Patna district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma put the blame of poor lighting arrangements at Gandhi Maidan during the Raavan Vadh ceremony on Sree Dussehra Committee Trust, the organisers. Arun Kumar, the secretary of the trust, however, claimed that though they put up lights near the main venue, the overall responsibility of the lighting at the Maidan is of the district administration.

Maharaaj, during a joint press-briefing with the former district magistrate on Saturday, attributed the trigger point in the incident to the damaged cattle trap at the Gandhi Maidan gate at Ramgoolam Chowk. “Adequate number of personnel was deployed at all exit points and no lathicharge happened at the spot,” said Maharaaj.