Latest news with #post-Liberation
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
N Goa ex-collector fails to reply to Shirgao stampede notice
Panaji: Except for the North Goa collector at the time, Sneha Gitte, all other officers who were issued a show-cause notice in connection with the Shirgao Jatra stampede have filed their replies. Six people were killed and 74 injured in the stampede. Recently, Gitte was transferred from Goa to Arunachal Pradesh. Goa chief secretary V Candavelou told TOI , 'Due to some reasons, Gitte sought time to reply.' On May 13, state govt issued show-cause notices to eight officials, including the district magistrate, North Goa SP, deputy collector of Bicholim, DySP of Bicholim, PIs of Bicholim and Mopa police stations, and panchayat secretary of Shirgao. These officials were on duty during the tragedy and have been transferred since. Chief minister Pramod Sawant, making the report of the fact-finding committee public, said the report collectively held the temple committee, district administration, district police, village panchayat, and crowd behaviour, particularly that of 'dhonds', responsible for the tragedy. Based on the preliminary inquiry, govt transferred Gitte, then North Goa SP Akshat Kaushal, Bicholim DySP Jivba Dalvi, Bicholim PI Dinesh Gadekar, and Bicholim deputy collector Bhimnath Khorjuvekar, with immediate effect. Three of the stampede victims — two women and a 16-year-old boy — were identified as 'dhonds', special devotees of the goddess. The stampede, perhaps the first in the post-Liberation history of Goa, occurred on the second day of the five-day jatra that began on May 3. The Shree Devi Lairai Devasthan committee said the state administration fell short in making the necessary arrangements for the jatra.
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Time of India
Shirgao Jatra Stampede: Officials Given Extra Week to Respond to Show-Cause Notices
Panaji: The officers who were issued a show-cause notice in connection with the Shirgao Jatra stampede, that killed six and injured 74 persons, were given one more week to file their reply. The officers sought the summary of the inquiry report to file their reply. Chief secretary V Candavelou told TOI , 'We have provided the summary of the inquiry report to the officers who have been issued a show cause notice. We have given them time to file their reply.' On May 13, state govt had issued show-cause notices to eight officials, including the district magistrate, North Goa SP, deputy collector of Bicholim, DySP Bicholim, mamlatdar, PIs of Bicholim and Mopa police stations, and the panchayat secretary of Shirgao, who were on duty during the incident and have been transferred since. Chief minister Pramod Sawant, making the report of the fact-finding inquiry committee (FFIC) public, said that the report collective ly held the temple committee, district administration, district police, village panchayat, and crowd behaviour, particularly that of 'dhonds', responsible for the tragedy. Based on the preliminary inquiry, govt transferred then North Goa collector Sneha Gitte, then SP North Goa Akshat Kaushal, Bicholim DySP Jivba Dalvi, Bicholim PI Dinesh Gadekar, and Bicholim deputy collector Bhimnath Khorjuvekar, with immediate effect. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Luxury Meets Legacy at Signature Global SPR, Gurgaon Signature Global Book Now Undo Six people died and 74 others were injured in the stampede early on Saturday morning. Three of the victims— two women and a 16-year-old boy — were identified as 'dhonds', special devotees of the goddess. The stampede, perhaps the first in post-Liberation Goa's history, occurred on the second day of the five-day jatra that began on May 3. Some injured people continue to be admitted to the hospital for medical treatment. The Shree Devi Lairai Devasthan committee stated that the state administration fell short in making the necessary arrangements for the jatra. In Shirgao, a dedicated road will be built, and staggered timings will be made for the 'dhonds' to go from the temple pond to the 'homkund'. The govt will widen the road before the next jatra, taking locals into confidence, he said. 'To ensure that such a stampede does not take place in Goa in the future, we will take precautions,' Sawant said.
Time of India
07-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
4 on ventilator, 2 critical four days after Shirgao stampede
Panaji: TOI Four days after the Shirgao jatra stampede, four persons continue to be on ventilator support at Goa Medical College (GMC), Bambolim. Two of them — one in their 40s and the other in their 50s — are said to be critical, as they suffered head injuries with cerebral hypoxia , a condition when the brain doesn't receive enough oxygen even though blood flow is adequate.'They began running a fever on Wednesday and require a higher dose of antibiotics. We have stepped up their antibiotics,' a doctor told. A neurologist regularly examines them for central nervous system functioning. In addition, the two patients also reportedly suffered fractured discharged four persons on Wednesday. The hospital saw 21 admissions, of which six have been discharged. The 15 still undergoing treatment are being looked after by a team of physicians, anaesthetists, and surgeons in the trauma and emergency ward, where a special trauma ICU has been set up. The others, who have been discharged, suffered fractures. To date, none of the patients have required suffered abrasions—skin peeling on their back because they were pulled out in haste from the stampede. Some have been discharged after the wounds on their back stampede on the second day of the Shree Devi Lairai Jatra claimed six lives, including that of a 16-year-old boy and his aunt, and over 70 were injured. The jatra concluded on Tuesday amid heavy police cover to thwart any untoward fact-finding committee is yet to submit its report on the stampede, said to be the first in post-Liberation Goa's history.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
At Shirgao, goddess to return to temple without pomp
1 2 Panaji: A few days after the Shree Devi Lairai Jatra stampede tragedy left six dead and 74 injured, the temple's 'kaulotsav' was subdued, with fewer devotees attending due to the unusual circumstances. The temple committee decided not to have any procession taking the goddess back to the temple on the last day of the jatra on Tuesday. The procession is usually accompanied by dancing, but this won't happen this year. From the second day, the goddess visited each house in the village until she returned to the temple on the fifth day of the jatra. Those who were not able to attend the jatra usually come in large numbers for the 'kaulotsav' to seek the blessings of the goddess. After the stampede, the number of devotees visiting Shirgao reduced to a large extent, but a crowd was still witnessed at the house to seek the goddess' blessing. Usually, devotees, including 'dhonds', special devotees of Lairai, visit for 'kaulotsav'. 'We saw a decrease in the number of devotees visiting Shirgao for the 'kaulotsav' to take the blessing of the goddess,' said a resident, Upendra Goankar. Temple president Dinanath Gaonkar said that the committee decided to remove all the stalls along the roadside by 8am on Tuesday, and accordingly, the mamlatdar issued the order. 'We have asked people not to come to Shirgao on Tuesday to avoid a crowd. Except for the 'chowgule', who are with the goddess throughout the jatra and will accompany the goddess in the temple, nobody else will be allowed inside the temple mandap,' said the temple president. 'Usually, we carry out a procession on the last day from Tisk to the temple, a distance of around 300m, before the goddess is installed in the sanctum. During the procession, people dance on both sides of the goddess, but in view of the stampede, this year, there will be no such procession,' he said. Six people died and 74 others were injured in a stampede at jatra early on Saturday morning. Three of the deceased — two women and a 16-year-old boy — were identified as 'dhonds,' special devotees of the goddess. The stampede, perhaps the first in post-Liberation Goa's history, occurred on the second day of the five-day jatra that began on Friday.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Time of India
6 die in Shirgao stampede, 74 injured
Shirgao: Six people, including two from a family, died and 74 others were injured in a stampede at the popular Shree Devi Lairai Jatra at the tiny village of Shirgao in North Goa early on Saturday morning. Three of the deceased — two women and a 16-year-old boy — were identified as 'dhonds', special devotees of the goddess. The stampede, perhaps the first in post-Liberation Goa's history, occurred at 3am on the second day of the five-day jatra that began on Friday. Five people were in a critical condition and on ventilator support at Goa Medical College . The jatra, one of Goa's biggest temple festivals, attracts over a lakh people in a day to Shirgao village, which has a population of 2,000 people. There are over 60,000 'dhonds' from Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka, some as young as five years old, who throng the jatra to walk barefoot through burning coal, known as 'homkund'. Chief minister Pramod Sawant, who visited the spot, said a preliminary inquiry suggested that a group of 'dhonds' suddenly tried to enter the queue to the 'homkund', resulting in confusion that eventually led to the stampede. Hours after the tragedy, govt ordered a magisterial inquiry into it, and announced Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for those who sustained major injuries. Govt also transferred North Goa collector Sneha Gitte and North Goa SP Akshat Kaushal, among others, with immediate effect and filed an FIR against unidentified persons. 'An inquiry will be conducted by revenue secretary Sandip Jacques, and a report will be submitted on Sunday. Based on the inquiry report, responsibility will be fixed, and action will be taken,' Sawant said. Recently, state cabinet decided to declare the jatra as a state festival, but the temple committee rejected the govt decision. There were two lanes at the site — one heading towards the 'homkund' and the other going towards Assonora. Goa police had barricaded the area with ropes, so that 'dhonds' walk in an orderly manner. For a while, the crowd was managed efficiently by the 1,000-odd police personnel, with devotees walking without any problems. The queue heading towards the 'homkund' was full of 'dhonds', while the other was comparatively less crowded. The tragedy occurred when the 'dhonds' were standing in a queue on the slope of the main village road, around 500m from the 'homkund', waiting to walk over the burning coals. 'Suddenly, there was screaming and shouting. People started jumping over our compound wall and entered our house,' 59-year-old Shirgao resident Mahesh Madgaonkar told TOI . It was in front of Madgaonkar's house that the tragedy unfolded. While the exact reason behind the stampede is yet to be ascertained, some eyewitnesses said that it all began when one woman fell down, while others said a 'dhond' got stuck to a barricade rope pulled by police, while still others said there was an altercation between two groups of 'dhonds'. Some even said that one person got an electric shock. 'There was total mismanagement,' said Rama Gaonkar, a 'dhond' who rescued the injured and a resident of Latambarcem. 'Police did not help in the rescue operation. We had to tell the police to bring a vehicle to shift the injured persons. A 'dhond' got stuck at the rope barricade and fell. Police should not have barricaded the slope with ropes,' he alleged. But the CM said that the incident didn't occur because of the rope used for barricading. After the tragedy, an ambulance stationed a few metres away from the spot was roped in, and injured persons were shifted to the community health centres (CHCs) at Bicholim and Sanquelim. A total of 43 patients were triaged, and critical patients were referred to the North Goa district hospital, Mapusa, and Goa Medical College. 'We saw six persons who were critical, lifted from the spot,' said Madgaonkar, who added that even police had to resort to a minor lathicharge to control the crowd to help the injured persons shift into the ambulance. The CM visited the hospitals and enquired about the health of the injured persons. 'I promised the affected families all possible help,' he said. Temple president Dinanath Gaonkar said that some people pushed each other while moving towards the 'homkund'. 'This led to one person getting an electric shock, resulting in the loss of lives of innocent people; such a thing should not have happened,' he alleged.
