Top cops were absent, AI surveillance failed: Puri stampede report

POlice neglectfulness and the loser of Puri’s much-touted AI-based structured require and verify Centre (ICCC) led to the stampede during the Rath Yatra on June 29, in which three people were killed and at least 20 were injured, according to an official probe.The inquiry report, submitted to the state government on July 31, has indicted several senior police officers for dereliction of duty and recommended disciplinary action. Puri Superintendent of Police Vineet Agrawal was transferred in the aftermath of the incident on June 29. The report is yet to be made public.The investigation into the incident was led by Development Commissioner Anu Garg.The incident took place around 4am, near the Gundicha temple, 3 kilometres away from the main Jagannath temple, when two trucks carrying Charamala wood for rituals entered Saradhabali — a consecrated sandy open space — where 1,500 devotees had gathered to witness the unveiling of deities on the chariots.A total of 147 people provided testimonies during the investigation, according to the report, excerpts of which were reviewed by HT.The report found that Ajay Kumar Padhi, Commandant of OSAP 3rd Battalion, Koraput, and Vishnu Prasad Pati, DCP (HQ), Commissionerate Police — the senior-most officials on the spot — were “physically absent” during the crucial period. Both have been suspended, with disciplinary proceedings recommended against them while commandant Tapas Ranjan Das, deputy commandant KK Nayak, City deputy SP Prasanta Kumar Sahoo, and Kumbharapada police station inspector Susanta Kumar Sahoo have been held responsible for failing to manage the swelling crowd near the chariots and allowing a loaded truck to enter the dense gathering, triggering the stampede.The report also exposed the collapse of the much-hyped AI-based Integrated Command and Control Centre(ICCC), designed to oversee crowd movement, traffic, and emergencies through CCTV and drone feeds. The system failed to provide critical live visuals from key locations, the report said.Of the 275 cameras sanctioned for the system, only 123functioned at any point. Analytics for crowd density, vehicle count, and facial recognition were missing altogether, the report said. Drone feeds were not used as per protocol, and many CCTV cameras were poorly positioned or non-functional, the inquiry said.The report recommended the government blacklist the ICCC operator and initiate disciplinary proceedings against all errant officers.Neither the home secretary nor the state DGP responded to HT’s queries about action taken on the administrative probe report.