Ms. Sneha Gitte, an IAS officer of the 2019 batch who came under scrutiny after the tragic stampede at the Shirgao Temple on May 3 that claimed six lives, has been transferred out of Goa by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). She is among nearly half a dozen IAS and IPS officers moved from the coastal state in the aftermath of the incident.
Ms. Gitte, who was serving as the North Goa Collector at the time, was transferred alongside then Superintendent of Police North Goa, Mr. Akshat Kaushal (2018-batch IPS officer). Their transfer follows a fact-finding committee’s report that held the District Administration, Police, and Temple Committee collectively responsible for the incident.
Another IAS officer, Ms. Yashaswini B (2019-batch IAS officer), who had succeeded Ms. Gitte as the North Goa Collector, has also been transferred out of the state through the same MHA order.
Meanwhile, two IAS officers, Mr. Sanjiv Gadkar (2013-batch IAS officer) and Mr. Yatindra Maralkar (2018-batch IAS officer), will be making a return to Goa in what appears to be a homecoming after their recent transfer orders.
On the police side, DIG Omair Singh Bishnoi (2004-batch IPS officer) has been posted from Goa to Delhi.
Other officers who have been transferred from Goa include Mr. Arun Kumar Mishra (2006-batch IAS officer), Mr. Ramesh Verma (2009-batch IAS officer), and Mr. Asvin Chandru (2019-batch IAS officer).
The reshuffle comes amid growing administrative accountability and public concern following the fatal stampede incident.
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