Goa stampede: Police directives on CCTV cameras, barricades not implemented ahead of temple fest

Panaji: The committee managing the Shree Lairai Temple failed to implement the Goa police's directives to install CCTV cameras for the annual festival, during which six people lost their lives in a stampede, an official said on Monday.

The official, quoting the minutes of a meeting held days before the tragedy, said the temple committee was also requested to make necessary arrangements for queues with proper barricading wherever required.

The temple authorities, however, said there wasn't enough time to install the CCTV cameras, as the meeting was held just a couple of days before the event.

Six people were killed, and more than 70 sustained injuries after a stampede broke out during an annual festival at Shree Lairai Temple at Shirgao village of North Goa in the wee hours of Saturday.

The police, district administration and Shree Lairai Temple committee held a meeting on April 30 ahead of the festival, during which the temple authorities were asked to install CCTV cameras at the entry and exit points and place "proper barricading wherever possible".

The meeting was attended by then Superintendent of Police (North) Akshat Kaushal, then Deputy Superintendent of Police (Bicholim) Jivba Dalvi, Deputy Collector (Bicholim) Bhimnath Khorjuvekar, Temple committee president Dinanath Gaonkar and others.

The minutes of the meeting, a copy of which is with PTI, state, "The temple committee is asked to install CCTVs at all the entry and exit points, crowded areas, near temple and Homkhand, along with CCTV control room for which police staff also would be provided." As per the minutes, the temple committee was also requested to make necessary arrangements for queues with proper barricading wherever required and asked to assist the police in crowd control and management during the festival.

When contacted, temple committee president Dinanath Gaonkar said they didn't have enough time to install the CCTV cameras.

"You require at least 10 to 15 days to install these cameras. The meeting was held only a couple of days before the festival," he said.

Gaonkar said the barricading was not done as devotees had suffered injuries because of it in the past.

The temple committee said they have deposed before the fact-finding committee probing into the stampede and provided all the details.