Six persons, including two women, were killed and more than 70 injured after a stampede broke out during a temple festival at a village in North Goa district in the wee hours of Saturday.
The Goa government ordered a magisterial inquiry into the tragedy at Shirgao village and transferred five officials, including the District Collector and Superintendent of Police.
The stampede occurred at around 3 am when thousands of devotees thronged the narrow lanes leading to the temple of Goddess Sree Lairai Devi for an annual festival. The village is located 40 km away from Panaji.
“At least 30,000 to 40,000 people had gathered, and some were standing on a slope. A few persons fell, causing others to tumble and fall on each other,” Director General of Police Alok Kumar said. About 50 people fell on the slope and the stampede was confined to that spot, he added.
Thousands of devotees from Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka attend the annual festival.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the tragedy. “May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected,” the PM wrote on X.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant visited the injured at the North Goa district hospital and also visited the stampede site.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said nearly 80 people sustained injuries with 13 admitted at Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC). Five of them were on ventilator support, while the remaining are in a specially-created emergency ward, he said.
Six people, including two women, were brought dead to hospitals.
Chief Minister Sawant said a magisterial inquiry will be instituted to investigate the incident.
“In order to ensure free and fair inquiry, the government has transferred District Collector Sneha Gitte, Superintendent of Police (North) Akshat Kaushal, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Bicholim) Jivba Dalvi, Deputy Collector (Bicholim) Bhimnath Khorjuvekar and Police Inspector Dinesh Gadekar with immediate effect,” Sawant told reporters at a press conference in the evening.
A fact-finding committee headed by Revenue Secretary Sandeep Jacques and comprising senior police officer Varsha Sharma, Director of Transport Parimal Abhishek and South Goa SP Tikam Singh Varma has been constituted. It will submit its report by Sunday morning, the CM said.
Earlier in the day, Sawant, in a post on X, said he had received a call from PM Modi, who offered his full support.
Health minister Rane said the government, in coordination with the 108 ambulance service, ensured that five ambulances reached the stampede site immediately after the incident.
A panel of specialist doctors will treat the five critically injured patients, the minister said.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, all government-supported festive programmes and public celebrations scheduled over the next three days have been cancelled or postponed.
State BJP president Damodar Naik said the Prime Minister's Office was monitoring the situation.
Goa Congress incharge Amarnath Panjikar said, “We request the state government to extend full support to the Devasthan Committee to ensure safe and smooth continuation of the remaining four days of the Lairaee Jatra, which draws lakhs of devotees to Shirgao.”
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Trajano D'Mello claimed that as per eyewitnesses, the stampede occurred due to negligence of the law and order machinery.
“We demand that a commission be instituted to conduct an inquiry to fix responsibility,” he said.
Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai also blamed the police and local administration for the tragedy and demanded ex gratia of Rs 1 crore each for the kin of the deceased.
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