A Home Ministry statement insisted officials had informed state police about the expected size of the crowd and also requested medical professionals to be in attendance.
The Centre today hit back at the Uttar Pradesh government for the violence and chaos that occurred during an ITBP recruitment camp at Bareilly resulting in the death of 19 aspirants, saying there were "only a handful" of state policemen to maintain law and order.
"Despite the clear request and advance intimation by the Commandant {ITBP}, it is learnt that only a handful of police personnel were deployed around the ITBP campus. When candidates started converging at the ITBP camp for registration, initially the process went on smoothly," the Home Ministry said in a statement.
"However, as the crowd swelled, the Additional Director General (Headquarters) at the Directorate General ITBP, who was monitoring the process, even talked to the District Magistrate and the ADG (Law and Order) UP requesting them to augment the arrangements," the Home Ministry added.
The Uttar Pradesh government yesterday had claimed that ITBP and the Centre did not coordinate with the state on the recruitment camp. It also blamed alleged "mismanagement" of ITBP for the "chaos".
"The incident was unfortunate, but the ITBP did not inform the Bareilly administration that applications have been invited from 11 states," a UP government spokesman said, adding the ITBP should have given a special information in this regard.
Home Minister P Chidambaram said yesterday that the state police was obliged to provide security to any kind of recruitment camp and such a programme would not have been held without the knowledge of the state police.
"These were done with the full knowledge and consent of state police," he had said in New Delhi.
The UP government had termed Chidambaram's statement as "untrue" and "far from facts".
The Home ministry today said that it has been alleged in media that the ITBP had not informed the District Magistrate - Bareilly about the recruitment rally for which over one lakh persons turned up for 416 vacancies and some returning candidates were killed and injured in a rail accident.
"In this regard, ITBP has informed that to ensure adequate arrangements for the rally, the local Commandant, ITBP wrote a letter to the District Magistrate with a copy to the DIG, Bareilly district on January 17 mentioning in detail the process of recruitment that would be followed along with the timings and estimated number of candidates, thereby requesting for adequate arrangements to be made," they said in a statement.
"A similar letter was issued by the local Commandant, ITBP to the District Magistrate requesting for the services of one medical officer, one para-medic along with medicines and one ambulance to handle any medical emergencies during the rally."
The statement carried four annexures of the letters written by the ITBP to the Bareilly administration and subsequent written communication by the District Magistrate to the Chief Medical Officer and local DIG.
The death toll in the incident where ITBP aspirants fell down from the roof of two speeding trains today rose to 19.
"It has been alleged that ITBP did not have adequate arrangements including only nine counters for registration. However, it is clarified by ITBP that a total of 24 counters were established," the Home Ministry statement said.
"Accordingly, (after intimation by ITBP) the office of the District Magistrate issued two letters. One to DIG, Bareilly for police bandobast and traffic control during the rally. The letter mentioned that arrangements be made at the bus station and railway station for ensuring law and order and controlling the flow of candidates. The letter also clearly mentioned that lakhs of candidates were expected to attend the rally," the statement said.
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