Lens on ‘missing' senior cops in stampede aftermath
Three devotees died in the stampede as a result of alleged crowd mismanagement.
"IGP (central range) S Praveen Kumar had held a briefing session of the officers around 1.30 am, highlighting their duties outside Gundicha Temple. The officers received instructions to maintain vigil and manage crowd movement through designated entry and exit points," a senior police officer said.
"However, following IGP Kumar's departure at around 2 am, the officers responsible for crowd management allegedly retreated to their hotels," the officer added.
The stampede occurred around 4.15 am.
"As crowds increased, most senior officers were notably absent. The junior officers present near the temple failed to properly assess and respond to the emergency situation," the official said, corroborating the claims of several devotees who alleged that police were invisible when the stampede occurred.
Following the stampede, govt suspended two senior police officers — Vishnu Prasad Pati and Ajay Kumar Padhi — for dereliction of duty, while Puri SP Vinit Agrawal and district collector Siddharth Shankar Swain were transferred.
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When asked about police negligence, development commissioner Anu Garg, who is heading the administrative probe into the stampede, said, "I have held preliminary discussions with officials and sevayats (servitors). I will verify the police deployment orders. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) and their compliance will be examined. CCTV footage will also be verified. Testimonies of various groups including the security personnel, temple staff, devotees and eyewitnesses will be recorded.
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