A probe team that looked into the vandalism of the Salt Lake Stadium during an event featuring Argentine football icon Lionel Messi has suggested a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to carry out an elaborate investigation into the incident, an official told the media on Tuesday. The committee presented its first report as early as Monday, only three days after it was constituted.
The panel is led by former judge Justice Asim Kumar Roy and also comprised of Chief Secretary Manoj Pant and Home Secretary Nandini Chakraborty. It was established on the instructions of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after unrests were reported in the stadium when Messi was visiting Kolkata on December 13.
The incident, according to the committee members, demands a thorough investigation, which is independent and is aimed at identifying responsibility and lack of procedures in a clear manner. The initial investigations have raised red flags of serious breaches of standard operating procedures especially in the areas of security in the stadium and management of crowds.
The existence of water bottles within the stadium is one of the major issues that have been mentioned in the report. According to the current laws, visitors cannot enter the stadiums with water bottles. The committee enquired on how the water bottles were sold within the stadium and also, stalls that sold water had been reportedly put up within the podium, which is a strong violation of the accepted norms.
On Tuesday, Justice Roy, in responding to a press conference, noted that such arrangements were very unusual and needed close consideration. He emphasized the importance of investigating any deviation of safety procedures particularly in the high profile events.
The committee has suggested a departmental measure against the agency involved in the operations and management of stadiums where the committee said that it was not possible to prove accountability without detecting failure by the relevant authorities. It also proposed the commencement of respective departmental actions on those officials who are guilty.
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