Kolkata has tightened security and emergency preparations for Durga idol immersion after a stampede at a north Kolkata puja pandal killed 19 people, with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari saying on Wednesday that only followers of Sanatan Dharma would be allowed to handle idols during immersion in the Hooghly.
Adhikari made the statement while reviewing arrangements at Babughat, accompanied by Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand and Kolkata Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey. He said he had instructed the police commissioner to identify those who would be involved in carrying idols into the river.
“There is no communal matter in it,” Adhikari said, adding that the administration was seeking to follow established religious practices during the immersion process. He said the arrangements had been strengthened because of both security concerns and the religious significance of the rituals.
The chief minister said trolleys would be used instead of cranes after complaints about the earlier system. The National Disaster Response Force has also been included in the arrangements, alongside the police, disaster management authorities and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. These agencies may seek assistance from other bodies, including the Kolkata Port Trust, if required.
The administration plans to clean the water after the immersion process concludes on October 24. Adhikari also reviewed immersion arrangements at ghats on the Howrah side of the Hooghly during a boat inspection.
Security has been intensified following the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal on Mahasaptami evening. At least 19 people were killed and 25 injured in the incident. A senior official said 18 Indian Police Service officers would supervise idol immersions in Kolkata and three neighbouring police commissionerates until October 24.
Of the 18 officers, 12 have been assigned to Kolkata and six to Howrah, Barrackpore and Chandannagar. Separate officers will supervise immersion operations in the city on October 21, 22, 23 and 24, while designated officers will oversee arrangements in the neighbouring commissionerates.
The administration has also raised concerns about spectator safety at Taki in North 24 Parganas district, where around 200 country boats are expected to carry people watching immersion in the Ichamati river. Officials had attempted to discourage the practice, but local sentiments were taken into account, Adhikari said.
He said life jackets and measures to balance the weight of the boats had been arranged, while acknowledging concerns over the use of small country boats. The Border Security Force has been asked to assist with arrangements at Taki. A Cabinet minister has been sent to the area, and the Deputy Inspector General of Police of the Barasat Range has been given responsibility for overseeing the arrangements.
The immersion operations in Kolkata and the surrounding areas are scheduled to continue through October 24, with police, civic and disaster-management agencies responsible for crowd control, emergency response and coordination at the river ghats.
