Case against Nitish Kumar to be heard on Nov 30

A local court will hear a complaint filed against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and eight others, including four cabinet ministers on November 30 in connection with the stampede on Chhath festival that claimed 17 lives.

First Class Judicial Magistrate of Patna city court Prabhakar Jha posted the matter for hearing on the date. The complaint was filed by social worker Ramji Yogesh under various sections of the Indian Penal Code in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Priti Verma, who transferred the case to the court of first class judicial magistrate.

Besides Kumar, the others named in the complaint included Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, Urban Development Minister Prem Kumar, Road Construction minister Nand Kishore Yadav and his counterpart in Food ministry Shyam Razak.

Commissioner of Patna, Engineer of Patna Municipal Corporation and the contractor who prepared the make-shift bamboo bridge have also been named in the complaint.

The bamboo bridge at Adalatghat collapsed triggering a stampede on November 19 evening when devotees were returning after offering Arghaya during Chhath festival.

Seventeen people, including 10 children and women, were killed in the incident.