Before Goa stampede that killed 6, police suggestion on CCTVs, barricades fell on deaf ears
Days before six people were killed in Saturday's stampede during the annual Jatra at the Lairai Devi temple in Goa, police had issued instructions to the temple committee to install CCTV cameras at entry and exit points, make arrangements for queueing with proper barricading, and set up a public address system to avoid any untoward incident, The Indian Express has learnt.
The committee said the CCTV cameras were not installed because there wasn't enough time, and that the barricades were not set up because on a previous occasion when they were in place, they had caused injuries to devotees.
The instructions were issued during a meeting on April 30 attended by senior police and district administration officials.
Those who attended the meeting included North SP Akshat Kaushal, Bicholim SDPO Jivba Dalvi, Bicholim police station inspector Dinesh D Gadekar, Bicholim Deputy Collector Bhimnath Khorjuvekar, Bicholim Mamlatdar Abhijeet Gaonkar, and Shree Lairai Devasthan president Shirgao Dinanath Gaonkar, as well as other members of the temple committee.
According to the minutes of the meeting, police issued instructions to the temple committee members 'to tackle any eventuality and contingency'.
The minutes said, 'Instructions were issued to the temple committee to install PA (public address) system near Lairai temple premises and homkhund (fire pit that is circled by devotees). The temple committee is also asked to install CCTV at all the entry and exit points, crowded areas, near the temple and homkhund, along with CCTV control room wherein adequate police staff would also be provided.'
'The temple committee is also requested to make necessary arrangements with regard to the maintenance of queue with proper barricading wherever required. The committee is also requested to assist police in crowd control and management during the festivity,' the minutes read.
In another joint meeting on April 16, concerns were raised about crowd control at the temple site of Mahamaya temple, homkhund and the road approaching the temple.
Temple committee president Dinanath Gaonkar said a meeting was held on April 16 in which discussions were held with various stakeholders and duties were assigned.
'Another meeting was scheduled for April 25, but it was postponed. On April 30, senior police officers came and gave (these) instructions. They said stringent action will be taken if instructions are not complied with. It takes at least 15-20 days to set up CCTVs. In two days, what can we do? Regarding the barricading (near the temple), we refused because on a previous occasion, when we had put barricades during the Jatra, some devotees had suffered injuries,' he said.
Gaonkar said all the requisite precautions had been taken by the temple committee. 'There is no mistake on our part in this regard. We have given our statement to the fact-finding committee and it is for the committee to come to a conclusion on what led to the mishap,' he said.
The Goa government on Saturday constituted a four-member fact-finding committee to investigate the incident. The government also transferred North Goa Collector Sneha Gitte, SP Akshat Kaushal, Deputy SP Jivba Dalvi, Deputy Collector Bhimnath Khorjuvekar, and Police Inspector Dinesh Gadekar.
The stampede occurred between 2.45 am and 3 am, when a big crowd of devotees made their way through a steep and narrow stretch of road towards the temple. 'As the Dhonds (the devotees taking part in the Jatra) formed multiple queues, there was a lot of pushing and shoving in the crowd. One woman tripped, and due to the topography of the narrow road, several others fell, which may have led to the stampede. The fact-finding committee is recording statements of all the victims and officials and will soon submit a report,' a government official said.
Eyewitnesses on Saturday said the stampede was caused by a scuffle among the unregulated crowd on the narrow stretch leading to the temple.
The Jatra, held in honour of Goddess Lairai Devi, is attended by thousands of devotees called Dhonds. They come from across Goa and neighbouring states. In a fire-walking ritual at the Jatra, the Dhonds circle a fire pit and walk barefoot across burning embers — a spectacle that draws many spectators.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
Major gun battle between Maoists, security forces underway at Chhattisgarh's Indravati National Park
A major encounter broke out on Thursday morning between security forces and Maoists at the Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. The ongoing encounter started after a joint team of security forces undertook an operation based on specific intelligence about the presence of senior Maoist cadres in the area. This comes nearly a fortnight after Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basava Raju, the general secretary of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), was gunned down in an encounter along with 27 others in the jungles of Abujhmad region in Narayanpur district on May 21. Indravati National Park has seen two other major encounters this year between Maoists and security forces. On February 9, two security forces personnel and 31 Maoists were killed in an encounter at the national park. Before that, on January 12, five Maoists, including two women, were killed in an encounter with security forces. Back in August 2023, sources in the security forces had told The Indian Express that Maoists were recruiting new cadres in the national park, Abujhmad, and the Kanker-Narayapur inter-district border near Maharashtra. The fresh recruits are also being trained in the national park, the sources had said, adding that they had been using drones to track security forces. Security forces have since been trying to free the national park area of Maoists. Also, they want to build a bridge over the Indravati river that would connect the two states and help boost economic activities. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a deadline of March 2026 to eradicate Left Wing Extremism (LWE) from India. The security forces this year till date have 202 Maoists, of which 185 were in Bastar region alone — Bijapur is a part of Bastar region. This year has also seen the death of 17 security personnel in attacks by Maoists.
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Indian Express
Former BJP mahila morcha leader and her partner arrested over gangrape of minor daughter
A former Bharatiya Janata Party Mahila Morcha district president and her partner have been arrested for allegedly orchestrating the gangrape of her minor daughter multiple times, police said. According to a complaint filed Wednesday by the father of the child, the mother had taken the minor in January under the pretext of an outing, accompanied by her partner and another suspect, who is absconding. At BHEL Stadium, the men allegedly consumed alcohol and, with the woman's consent, allegedly threatened and raped the girl. She was then taken to hotels in Agra, Vrindavan, and Haridwar, where the sexual assault continued multiple times. The victim was allegedly told she would be killed if she revealed the abuse, the police said. According to the complaint, the mother was allegedly present at all occasions when the accused raped her daughter. The woman was also running a hotel in Haridwar on lease, police said. Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered at Kotwali Ranipur for gangrape and criminal intimidation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. The child's medical examination was conducted after which the two accused were arrested from Hotel Yug Residency near Shiv Murti Chowk. SSP Haridwar Parmendra Dobhal said that the allegations were substantiated in the medical examination. The complainant's wife separated from him following a domestic dispute over two years ago. The child had come to stay with her father for a month when he noticed her changed behaviour. She allegedly narrated the ordeal recently prompting him to approach the police. The victim's statements have been recorded before the magistrate and the police are searching for the third accused who is currently absconding. According to the BJP unit in Haridwar, the accused woman was relieved of her duties in August last year and Wednesday, after her arrest, the BJP president of the district unit said she has been expelled from the party with immediate effect. Congress spokesperson Surya Kant Dhasmana said the case has exposed the reality behind BJP's much-touted slogans like 'Chaal, Charitra, Chehra' (Conduct, Character, and Identity) and 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' (Save the daughter, educate the daughter). Aiswarya Raj is a correspondent with The Indian Express who covers South Haryana. An alumna of Asian College of Journalism and the University of Kerala, she started her career at The Indian Express as a sub-editor in the Delhi city team. In her current position, she reports from Gurgaon and covers the neighbouring districts. She likes to tell stories of people and hopes to find moorings in narrative journalism. ... Read More
Indian Express
11 hours ago
- Indian Express
Trapping social media influencers: ISI's strategy to weave an espionage-cum-propaganda network
Investigations into Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) latest modus operandi of espionage have revealed a concentrated effort to invite, entice, and then co-opt social media influencers through a variety of lures to build a web of informers among the community. Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior official said the cases of Hisar-based YouTube channel operator Jyoti Malhotra and Ropar-based Jasbir Singh, who also ran a YouTube channel, are not isolated, and are part of a well-planned operation by ISI to increase its reach through the twin aims of collecting information and spreading propaganda. Central intelligence agencies and the Punjab Police have been unravelling the spy network which was cultivated by several officials based in the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. Two staff members of the High Commission have already been thrown out of India after the government declared them persona non grata. 'ISI has been using a variety of tools to reach out to social media influencers not only in Punjab but across the country in order to weave an espionage-cum-propaganda network, which works out in favour of Pakistan. The first step is to invite the influencers of various platforms like YouTube, Instagram, X, Snapchat, etc, to the get-togethers of the Pakistan High Commission, and then offer them visas to visit Pakistan,' the official said. Once the influencer travels to Pakistan, the next step of the operation kicks in, under which enticements may be offered by way of cash and kind, including the honeytrap method, which would be used to coerce them into doing their bidding. 'It is a slow process, and often multiple visits are encouraged to Pakistan, and the confidence level in ISI operatives who are working under cover is gradually built up. When the target knowingly or unknowingly makes a false step and falls into their clutches, they close the trap, making it difficult for the influencer to back out,' the official said. Pakistan's efforts to entice Indian YouTube channel operators for espionage stem from a combination of strategic, geopolitical, and tactical motives. Leveraging social media influence for soft power and propaganda is boosted by the reach and credibility. YouTubers, especially those with large followings (Jasbir Singh with 1.1 million subscribers and Jyoti Malhotra with 377,000–381,000 subscribers), have significant online influence. Their content can shape public perceptions, making them valuable for projecting pro-Pakistan narratives or countering anti-Pakistan sentiment in India, say investigators. By encouraging influencers to create content like 'Indian Girl in Pakistan', as seen in the case of Jyoti Malhotra, Pakistan aims to portray a positive image, potentially softening public opinion in India or globally. This aligns with 'soft power' strategies to influence narratives subtly while gathering intelligence. Influencers can also play a vital role in covert operations as they are less likely to arouse suspicion compared to traditional spies, as their travel vlogs and cultural exchanges appear innocuous, providing a cover for espionage activities. ISI has also been found to be exploiting the financial vulnerabilities of influencers, as most YouTubers rely on views, sponsorships, or external funding. Pakistani operatives offer financial rewards, sponsored trips (like Malhotra's visits to Pakistan in 2023), or other incentives to lure influencers, exploiting their need for content and revenue. Intelligence officials say that in the wake of Operation Sindoor and heightened India-Pakistan tensions, ISI likely seeks real-time intelligence on Indian military movements, cantonment details, and strategic operations, especially in border states like Punjab. 'Punjab's proximity to the India-Pakistan border makes it a focal point for espionage. YouTubers travelling in these regions can inadvertently or deliberately gather and share information about troop deployments, infrastructure, or security arrangements, which can be vital to the enemy who wants to collect granular data,' another official said.
