Kolkata, Oct 21 (IANS): The West Bengal government on Wednesday announced the formation of a six-member judicial probe panel to investigate the stampede in the community Durga Puja pandal of Chorbagan Sarbojanin in Kolkata on the night of October 17 which claimed 19 human lives.
According to the order issued by the West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal, the judicial probe panel will be led by Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati (retired) as the Chairperson.
The other five members of the probe committee will be the Principal Secretary to the State Disaster Management and Civil Defence department, the Director General of the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police, a second representative from the state police in the rank of Additional Director General, a representative from the state Home and Hill Affairs department, not below the rank of Joint Secretary, and representative from the National Disaster Response Force in Kolkata.
As per the order, the said probe panel would likely request the state government to induct any other officer, as may be required for the discharge of its functions and the panel members will examine the matters set out in the foregoing recitals and undertake such further inquiry as may be necessary, subject to applicable laws and procedures.
“All concerned departments, authorities, agencies and persons shall extend full cooperation to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and provide such records, information and assistance as may be required for the inquiry. The SIT shall submit its report, together with its findings and recommendations, to the state government within three months from the date of issue of this order, for consideration and further action as deemed appropriate in accordance with law. This order shall take immediate effect,” the order said, a copy of which is available with IANS. Immediately after the tragedy, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had said he would like the judicial probe panel to be led by a serving judge of the Calcutta High Court.
Accordingly, a letter of request on this count was also sent from the office of Chief Secretary to office of Calcutta High Court’s Chief Justice, Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge.
However, on Tuesday, Chief Justice Ghuge told the state government that as per a previous order of the Supreme Court, it was not possible to appoint a serving judge to any commission and therefore the state will have to select a retired judge of its own choice to lead the judicial probe commission in the matter, nearly a day after that the state government had announced the formation of the six-member judicial probe panel.
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