Kolkata Police is temporarily bringing back nine experienced IPS officers to help manage Durga Puja crowds after 19 people died in a disaster at a Chorbangan puja pandal, according to a report by Anandabazar – Kolkata. Lalbazar has also issued an 11-point set of instructions to police stations covering crowd movement, rain-related emergencies, lighting, evacuation and VIP vehicle access.
The nine officers were reportedly asked to join Kolkata Police by Sunday afternoon. The list includes Shubhankar Bhattacharya, Miraj Khalid, Rupesh Kumar, Tarun Haldar, Soumya Ray, Priyabrata Ray, Deepak Sarkar, Sumanjit Ray and Mahmud Akhtar. Each has previously served in Kolkata Police, while several now hold senior positions elsewhere in the state police system.
Rupesh Kumar previously served as the city’s detective chief and is now a deputy inspector general in the Special Task Force. Miraj Khalid earlier worked at police headquarters and is currently the inspector general of traffic. Priyabrata Ray previously served as deputy commissioner of the South Division and is now a superintendent of police in the traffic department. The officers are being brought back temporarily to support festival operations, the report said.
The instructions sent to officers-in-charge require every exit route from major puja pandals to remain unobstructed. Police have been told to ensure that no objects are left in passageways and that visitors can move smoothly both inside and outside the pandals. Crowd control measures must be activated when conditions appear risky, including restricting entry where necessary.
The guidelines also address heavy rain. If rain begins, police stations have been instructed to close pandal entry points and safely move people already inside out of the structure. No crowd should be allowed to gather inside during such conditions, and adequate lighting must be maintained. Officers and constables on duty have been told not to leave their posts even during rain, with raincoats to be provided where required.
The police response follows the Chorbangan incident on Saturday evening. Some eyewitnesses cited in the report said people rushed to take shelter inside the pandal during rain, leading to a dangerous situation. The government has not yet specified the cause of the disaster. The report also said that seven people were arrested on Sunday morning after overnight questioning, including members of the Chorbangan Sarbojanin Durga Puja committee, people responsible for VIP passes and crowd control, and two employees of a private security agency.
Lalbazar has further directed police to regulate entry according to conditions, prevent sudden changes to visitor routes and monitor announcements made by puja organisers. VIP vehicles will not be allowed to travel up to pandals and must be parked at a specified distance. Each police officer or constable is to be linked with a team of five or six volunteers from the puja committee, while ropes, guard rails and small loudspeakers must be available for crowd management.
