Tuesday, May 12, 2026
ADVT 
India

Toll in Patna stampede rises to 33, probe begins

Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Oct, 2014 09:25 AM
    The toll in a stampede after the burning of the Ravana effigy at the Gandhi Maidan here rose to 33 Saturday after the death of a child, an official said.
     
    "The condition of at least five seriously injured people is critical," a Patna district official said.
     
    Thirty-two people, including women and children, had died in the stampede Friday evening. 
     
    Bihar Police said 29 people are seriously injured and undergoing treatment at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) here.
     
    Additional Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey said that he, along with Principal Home Secretary Amir Shubani, visited the spot to inquire into the cause of the stampede.
     
    "We have formally began an inquiry into the cause of the stampede that resulted in deaths of so many people, mostly women and children," Pandey told reporters.
     
    Pandey said police have been scanning the CCTV footage also.
     
    Water Resources Minister Vijay Choudhary said the state government would take action against officials if they are found guilty. "Action would be initiated after the inquiry," he said.
     
    In view of the incident, Urban Development Minister Samrat Choudhary has cancelled his England visit.
     
    Meanwhile, a group of angry people Saturday protested at the Ramghulam square near Gandhi Maidan. They attacked and damaged half a dozen vehicles, forcing police to resort to lathi charge to disperse them.
     
    Additional security forces have been deployed to deal with protestors.
     
    "Rapid Action Force and Bihar Military Police were deployed at Gandhi Maidan and nearby areas...," a police official said.
     
    Health Minister Ramdhani Singh visited the PMCH and met injured people.
     
    According to district officials, rumours that a live high tension wire had fallen to the ground led to the stampede.
     
    Patna District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj at a joint press meet here Saturday ruled out administrative lapses.
     
    "Most of the people died due to suffocation and breathlessness during stampede," Verma said.
     
    Both claimed that four gates of Gandhi Maidan were opened and there was adequate arrangement.

    MORE India ARTICLES

    Lok Sabha battle, overshadowed by Modi, ends Monday

    Lok Sabha battle, overshadowed by Modi, ends Monday
     India's most bitterly fought parliamentary elections end Monday when the last lot of 41 Lok Sabha constituencies vote in three major states, bringing the curtains down on a five-week-plus process widely expected to end a decade of Congress rule.

    Lok Sabha battle, overshadowed by Modi, ends Monday

    500 days on, crusaders keep Dec 16 fight alive

    500 days on, crusaders keep Dec 16 fight alive
    "Shapath lo, balaatkaar mukt Bharat ki" (Pledge for a rape-free India), reads a banner at Jantar Mantar in the heart of the national capital. Inscribed below is "Damini", referring to the Dec 16, 2012, gang-rape victim. Next to it stands a lit lamp, leaving you feeling calm despite the sweltering heat.

    500 days on, crusaders keep Dec 16 fight alive

    Election Special: After elections, AAP will groom new leaders

    Election Special: After elections, AAP will groom new leaders
    Realising that it cannot keep solely depending on Arvind Kejriwal after a gruelling Lok Sabha poll, the fledgling AAP has begun preparing its new rank of leadership.

    Election Special: After elections, AAP will groom new leaders

    In tiring election season, Modi made a style statement

    In tiring election season, Modi made a style statement
    For a man who confesses to a penchant to "dress well" and claims his mixing and matching of colours is "god gifted", BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is one of the few Indian politicians who have effortlessly managed to get discerning people's appreciation and women's attention by his sartorial elegance.

    In tiring election season, Modi made a style statement

    Meerut violence: FIRs against 200 rioters lodged

    Meerut violence: FIRs against 200 rioters lodged
    A dozen criminal cases were filed Sunday against 200 unidentified rioters for violence here Saturday in which about 50 people, including a senior police officer and two media persons, were injured.

    Meerut violence: FIRs against 200 rioters lodged

    Rahul's No to Third Front: Ploughing a lonely furrow?

    Rahul's No to Third Front: Ploughing a lonely furrow?
    The implications of Rahul Gandhi's summary dismissal of the idea of Congress support for the Third Front are not clear. Nor is it clear whether the Congress vice president's views are the party's last word on the subject.

    Rahul's No to Third Front: Ploughing a lonely furrow?