Mumbai: The Dadar police will investigate Friday’s stampede, which took place on the foot-over-bridge (FOB) at the Parel-Elphinstone Road station, which left 22 people dead and 33 injured. However, there is no CCTV footage of the incident available as that particular spot where the stampede occurred was a blind spot, according police sources. The preliminary investigation has revealed that there were rumours that started doing the rounds, triggering the stampede.
Meanwhile, the railways are conducting a separate inquiry into the incident.
“When it started raining, people started taking shelter on the steps of the FOB and the crowds started swelling. There was a small puddle of water and hence people choose to stay back. What we have learnt is that the crowd started to increase exponentially and then there was rumour mongering,” said Sunil Deshmukh, assistant police commissioner, (Dadar). Western Railway chief public relations officer Ravindra Bhakar said, “We suspect the stampede occurred due to rumours about the bridge collapsing.”
According to the cops, there were three rumours doing the rounds that played a major role in spreading fear in the crowd. The first one alleged that the asbestos sheets on the spot and on the sides of the bridge had begun to crumble, others allegedly said that an electric current was flowing from the railings, while the third said that the bridge was collapsing due to overcrowding.
Soon after, some people slipped and fell into the puddle, whereas some others landed on them. Onlookers tried to hold on to those who had fallen and began pulling them up. But pressure from the rear end owing to the bridge collapse scare led to suffocation. Some people fainted and collapsed and others fell on them in a bid to escape.
There was total chaos at the spot and nothing could be done till people realised that these were rumours, said the police. “We will have to find eye witnesses and record their statement. The railway authorities have been asked for CCTV footage of the bridge (though the stairway is not covered),” added the ACP.
The Dadar police is in the process of registering an accidental death report in the incident.
