The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal government to appoint a commission headed by a retired High Court judge to investigate the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede in Kolkata that killed 19 people on October 17.
A Division Bench presided over by Chief Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge issued the direction on October 20 while hearing a public interest litigation seeking an independent and speedy investigation into the incident. The special sitting was held during the Durga Puja festival.
The Bench said a sitting High Court judge could not head the inquiry because of a Supreme Court directive. The State government had sought an investigation led by a sitting judge, but the Court rejected that proposal and said a retired High Court judge could be selected to head the commission.
The commission will examine the causes of the stampede and identify those responsible for the incident. The order comes after the crowd surge at the Chorbagan pandal on Saptami, the first day of the Durga Puja festival, resulted in a high number of casualties.
According to the report, 19 people died in the incident, including 13 females and eight minors. Five of the female victims were minors, while three other deceased minors were male. The casualty profile has highlighted the impact of crowd-control failures on women and children attending one of Kolkata’s largest public festivals.
Kolkata Police have attributed the incident to alleged mismanagement and confusing public announcements. Police said circumstantial evidence, along with accounts from local residents and eyewitnesses, suggested that inadequate crowd control contributed to the mishap. These observations will form part of the wider inquiry into the incident.
The Court’s direction places the investigation within a formal commission framework while leaving the State government to appoint the retired judge and constitute the panel. The commission is expected to examine the sequence of events at the pandal, the crowd-management arrangements and the actions of the agencies and organisers responsible for public safety. Further details of the commission’s membership and terms of reference were not provided in the report.
