New Delhi: At least 19 people were killed and 25 injured in a stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening. Police arrested seven people, including puja organizers, on Sunday and registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The stampede occurred during Saptami celebrations following a sudden downpour and a surge in visitors. Police are investigating whether inadequate crowd management and confusion over entry and exit routes contributed to the tragedy.
In initial investigation CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts and other evidence point to serious lapses in the arrangements, a senior police officer told PTI. According to reports, locals alleged that the number of police personnel and private security guards at the venue was inadequate, with most personnel present near the VIP entrance, a senior police officer said.
The narrow entrance gates and approach road reportedly made movement difficult as the crowd surged. Some visitors tried to leave through the entrance gate, while inadequate announcements about entry, exit and crowd movement added to the confusion. Police are now investigating these lapses to establish the cause of the stampede.
Fourteen people were initially detained on Saturday night. Police are now questioning those arrested and plan to speak to survivors to establish how the incident unfolded. Forensic experts collected evidence from the site on Saturday night, with further examinations planned for Sunday.
Those arrested include puja committee secretary, Raj Kumar Sewda (48); and vice-president Santanu Dubey (55). The other accused are Biplab Mukherjee (48), who was involved in constructing the pandal’s bamboo structure; Koushik Saha (53) and Pintu Dey (51), who handled crowd management; and private security in-charges Suman Chakraborty (30) and Rajesh Pal (29), the Indian Express reported.
The Kolkata Police commissioner, Ajay Nand, imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS in specified parts of the Bowbazar Police Station area near the Chorbagan pandal. The restrictions will remain in force from October 18 to 20, banning unlawful gatherings of five or more people and the carrying of weapons. The order does not cover the entire Bowbazar area.
State announces compensation and safety review
The West Bengal chief minister, Suvendu Adhikari, announced compensation of ₹25 lakh and a government jobs for the family of each deceased victim. He also announced an SIT headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta high court to investigate the stampede.
A separate high-level committee will review safety arrangements at major Durga Puja pandals across the state. Its work will cover crowd management, exit routes and structural safety. The committee includes disaster management principal secretary, Rajesh Sinha, fire services director general, Anuj Sharma, and additional director general of police (law and order) Javed Shamim.
The prime minister, Narendra Modi, expressed grief over the deaths and announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased person. The injured will receive ₹50,000.
The president, Droupadi Murmu, and the vice-president, CP Radhakrishnan, also expressed condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
The Union home minister, Amit Shah, postponed his scheduled Durga Puja engagements in West Bengal and visited a Kolkata hospital on Sunday morning, where injured people were receiving treatment. He said he was in touch with the chief minister and that the administration was arranging medical care for the injured.
The state government said medical care for the injured and support for affected families were its immediate priorities. It also activated a toll-free helpline, 1800 345 5678, for people seeking assistance.
The state-wide safety review is intended to identify gaps in arrangements at major festival venues and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents.