Police are investigating who announced that part of the Chorbagan puja pandal was collapsing after a crowd crush during heavy rain on Saptami evening, while CCTV analysis has found no evidence that any section of the structure actually fell. The investigation has shifted towards how congestion at the exit and an unregulated flow of visitors through the entrance contributed to the disaster.
The incident took place at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin puja pandal on Saturday evening after sudden rain led to a crowd gathering near the exit. According to the police, an announcement was then made inside the pandal claiming that a portion of the structure had collapsed. The announcement triggered pushing and panic among visitors. Police are examining who made it and why.
Kunal Agrawal, chief of the Kolkata Police detective department, said on Monday that the pandal had 30 CCTV cameras, of which footage from 13 cameras covered the incident area. The footage showed that rain-related crowding blocked the exit, while the entrance remained open. A crowd was also present inside the pandal when the announcement was made, according to the police account.
The police have said they found no evidence that any part of the pandal had collapsed. The absence of a structural collapse has made the source and purpose of the announcement a central part of the investigation. Officers are studying the available footage and other evidence to identify the person or persons responsible.
The case has also triggered scrutiny of crowd management inside the temporary festival structure. The police findings indicate that the exit became congested while visitors continued to enter, creating conditions in which a warning about a possible collapse could rapidly turn into a stampede. The investigation will establish whether the announcement was deliberate, mistaken or made in response to a misunderstanding, though the police have not yet disclosed their conclusion.
Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari held a high-level meeting at Bhavani Bhavan on Sunday morning and later announced measures for the families of those who died and people injured in the incident. He said he would visit the families of the dead on October 20 and 21 and provide financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh to each family at their homes.
The Chief Minister also announced that a low-key Bijoya Sammilani would be held at Milan Mela on October 26. Puja organisers from Kolkata and five commissionerates are expected to attend. The 25 people injured in the Chorbagan pandal incident will also be present and are to receive financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each.
The injured were initially taken to Medical College after the accident. Twelve people were receiving treatment there and two others were admitted to SSKM Hospital before all 14 were shifted to a private hospital near the EM Bypass. Ten patients were discharged on Monday, while four remained under treatment, according to the report.
Police have also arrested a man in Cooch Behar over a social media post claiming that the eyes of people who died in the Chorbagan incident were being sold. The accused, Ainul Haque of the Tapurhat area, allegedly circulated the misleading post and urged people to share it widely. Police are investigating why he published the claim and whether any further purpose lay behind it.
The CCTV inquiry, the continuing treatment of injured visitors and the investigation into both the panic announcement and the false social media claim remain the next official steps in the Chorbagan case.
