KARACHI: Two police teams start probe into stampede
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, April 10: Two separate teams have been formed for a probe into the causes of the stampede that killed 29 people at a congregation at Faizan-i-Madina seminary on Sunday. The teams have been asked to come up with their findings in a fortnight.
The inquiry teams have also directed to propose the measures to be taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future. One inquiry team has been formed under the command of the DIG Investigation Zone-I, Manzoor Mughal, and the other is headed by the TPO Gulshan, Asif Aijaz.
City police chief Niaz Ahmed Siddiki said that the teams had been assigned the task of ascertaining the cause of the tragic incident.
He said that the teams had started inquiry separately and they would submit their reports to him in two weeks.
DIG Manzoor Mughal said that the inquiry had begun immediately and an inspection of the site was carried out on Monday. “Our team visited the spot to inspect the scene of the incident and we have also recorded statements of those members of the mosque’s administration who were present there at the time of the incident,” he added.
He said that the statements of those who suffered injuries in the incident would also be recorded. “However, the incident appears to be accidental,” Mr Mughal added.
The Fire Brigade officials who inspected the scene of the incident said that the attendance of women was much beyond the building’s accommodation capacity.
Chief Fire Officer Kazim Ali said that the Public Gathering Act was present but it was not implemented properly. He said that the volunteers in such a mass gathering should be trained in fire-fighting and first aid.
He said that the Fire Brigade Department had already offered free training for volunteers. He said that the Civil Defence institution was also present but it had not been devolved to the city government as yet.
Meanwhile, the final rites and burial of those women and children who died in Sunday’s tragic stampede were held in their respective localities, including New Karachi, Model Colony, Shah Faisal Colony, Malir, Liaquatabad, North Nazimabad, and Kauser Niazi Colony. Shops and markets in such areas remained closed in mourning. The shops around the Dawat-i-Islami’s Faizan-i-Madina also remained closed.
As far as the edifice of the Faizan-i-Madina is concerned, officials in the city government said that the building was constructed on a 10,000-square-yard plot and some modifications, in violation of its master plan, had been made in it.
However, the nature of the modifications could not be ascertained.
There are more than one entry/exit gate built for the building but only one was opened for the mammoth crowd.
