Question : RECRUITMENT IN ITBP

(a) whether the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) organized a recruitment drive at Bareilly (U.P.) on 3 February 2011;

(b) if so, whether as a result of the melee, chaos and mishandling, a number of persons died;

(c) if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether any inquiry has been set up to probe the matter;

(e) if so, the terms of reference and composition of the inquiry committee; and

(f) the details of the compensation being provided to the families of the deceased and the injured alongwith the time by which the compensation is likely to be provided?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS(SHRI GURUDAS KAMAT)

(a) to (f): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 127 FOR ANSWER ON 22.02.2011:

(a) ITBP organized a recruitment rally in the ITBP campus, Bareilly for recruitment to the 416 posts of Group ‘C’ Constable (Followers) at Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) from 1st February 2011.

(b) & (c) Expecting / assessing large number of candidates, the Sector Deputy Inspector General, ITBP, Bareilly had requested District Magistrate (DM), Bareilly on 17 January, 2011 to make adequate police arrangement for maintenance of law and order and also for providing medical cover. This letter also mentioned that, the police arrangements be made around Bus stand, as well as Railway Station for maintaining law and order. Subsequently DM, Bareilly wrote to the DIG Police, Bareilly and District CMO Bareilly to make the necessary arrangements.

(ii) Adequate arrangements were made inside the campus by ITBP for registration on the morning of 1st February’ 2011. Separate entry and exit points to get out of ITBP Campus were also made. The plan was to first register all the applicants and thereafter call them in the batches of 600 per day till all candidates were tested. Initially, approximately 5000 to 6000 candidates entered the campus and their registration was started by ITBP.

(iii) According to the preliminary report of ITBP Directorate, the crowd outside the campus, which had swelled to about 90,000, started getting restive. Despite repeated announcements, requesting them to remain calm with the assurance that every person would be registered, irrespective of the time it would take, the large mob taking advantage of skeletal police presence become aggressive and started pelting stones and looted some shops also. After deployment of additional force and reassurances, the crowd dispersed and the area was evacuated.

(iv) After leaving the ITBP campus area, some candidates etc presumably boarded the trains, buses etc. on their return journey. It was later reported by the media that some of them climbed on the roofs of the passenger coaches. This subsequently lead to the unfortunate accident approximately 100 Km away from Bareilly i.e. near Roza Railway Station when the persons travelling on the roof tops of the train coaches were hit by an over bridge as reported in the media. It is reported that about 19 persons died in the accident.

(d) & (e) A court of Inquiry has already been ordered vide order dated 7th February, 2011. The enquiry would be conducted by IG rank officers.

The terms of reference for the Inquiry are as under:-

(i) Despite DIG ITBP Bareilly having intimated the District Magistrate Bareilly on 17th January, 2011 about the recruitment rally at ITBP campus to be held from 1st Feb 2011, whether there was any lack of co-ordination between Sector Hqrs ITBP Bareilly and the district administration / Police authorities at Bareilly. If so, who was responsible for having failed to co-ordinate arrangements for the proposed rally.

(ii) Had the prescribed Standard Operating Procedure been followed or not. Whether there was any ambiguity in the Standard Operating Procedure regarding the conduct of the recruitment rally.

(iii) Was there any ambiguity in the instructions to the candidates in the advertisement published in newspapers for this recruitment rally? If so, what were the ambiguities.

(iv) Had any contingency plan for addressing the excessive turn out of candidates been worked out by the Sector Hqrs ITBP Bareilly. If not, why and who is responsible for the absence of a contingency plan.

(v) Was there any deviation at the last minute in the recruitment process to be followed which could have led to any confusion amongst the candidates? If so, why and who is responsible for such deviation.

(f) Since the accident happened in the jurisdiction of the State Government and on a Railway train, compensation, if any, is to be considered by Ministry of Railways / the State Government of Uttar Pradesh. It has been ascertained from the Railway authorities and state Government authorities that no compensation has been paid so far.