BHUBANESWAR: The probe panel to investigate the stampede during the Rath Yatra at Puri has held seven senior police officers responsible for lapses in crowd management and recommended disciplinary action against them, besides blacklisting the firm that supplied AI-powered surveillance cameras for the festival.
Development commissioner Anu Garg was asked to probe the incident hours after three pilgrims were killed in the stampede near Gundicha temple on June 29.
The panel observed that the then Puri SP had the overall responsibility for deployment of police force at different important locations of Puri town including at Srimandir, Gundicha temple, chariot site and Badadanda in consultation with senior police officers.
“Senior officials - commandant of OSAP 3rd Battalion, Koraput Ajay Kumar Padhi and DCP (HQ) of Commissionerate Police Vishnu Prasad Pati deployed for crowd management in front of the chariots that day were physically absent,” the report stated. The panel recommended disciplinary proceedings against the two who are already under suspension.
The panel found that officers responsible for coordinating with the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration and sevayats did not maintain proper communication nor alerted the control room about ritual timings, crowd build-up and delays. Commandant of Swatantra Shree Mandir Surakshya Vahini (SSMSV), Puri Tapas Ranjan Das, deputy commandant KK Nayak and city DSP Prasanta Kumar Sahoo failed to ensure timely liaison during ‘Dwaraphita’ in the morning, leading to severe congestion ahead of rituals, the report said.
Moreover, city DSP Sahoo and Kumbharpada IIC Susanta Kumar Sahoo were found to have failed in crowd control duties near the chariots and allowed a charamala-loaded truck to move through a densely packed crowd, which ultimately triggered the stampede, said the report. They also did not escalate warnings about swelling crowds and delayed rituals to the SP or collector, which could have prevented the situation.
The probe also flagged major shortcomings in the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), which was expected to provide real-time alerts through AI-powered CCTV cameras, drone feeds, facial recognition and crowd-density analytics.
“The AI system did not deliver when it was needed the most,” the report said recommending blacklisting of Invent Grid India Pvt Ltd for failure to meet specifications and ensure proper crowd surveillance.
It also held commandant of OSAP 8th Battalion, Chatrapur and in-charge of ICCC operations Sarada Prasad Dash responsible for not red-flagging or triggering authorities concerned despite evident crowd pressure, recommending action against him for negligence.
Meanwhile, the Home department has asked the DGP to initiate disciplinary action against the seven officers named in the report for lapses in duty and submit an action-taken report.