Deogarh DC, SP, two others suspended following stampede

Deogarh District Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar, Superintendent of Police P Murugan and two other Health department officials were placed under suspension, hours after 10 devotees were killed in a stampede in the temple town of Baidyanath Dham.

"The DC and SP have been suspended with immediate effect due to negligence of duty," Jharkhand Home Secretary N N Pandey said at a press conference here.

The decision was taken by the state government after a high-level committee made an on-the-spot inquiry into the circumstances leading to the incident at Belabagan in the temple town, he said.

Dumka Superintendent of Police Vipul Shukla has been transferred to Deogarh as SP and the Managing Director of Jharkhand Urja Vikas Nigam Limited, Rahul Purwar, has been sent as deputy commissioner.

The two officials would remain there till the end of the month-long 'Shravani Mela', Pandey said.

Another IPS officer Murari Lal Meena has also reached the temple town for supervision, he said.

Stating that negligence was also found in the hospital administration in Deogarh, the Home secretary said Deogarh Civil Surgeon Diwakar Kamath and Regional Health Deputy Director Prasad were also placed under suspension with immediate effect.

The government had earlier said a three-member committee headed by Pandey would inquire into the incident but later added another official to the team.

Besides Pandey, the team consists of Additional Director General of Police (Operation) S N Pradhan, Secretary of Rural Works Department M R Meena and Director (Health Services) Dr Suman Mishra.