Kolkata police have ordered immediate crowd-management changes at several high-footfall Durga Puja pandals after the Chorebagan stampede, including the removal of VIP entrance channels, widening of exits and tighter controls during heavy rain and visitor surges.
Seven IPS officers temporarily brought back to the city from their current postings took charge of coordination with major Puja committees on Monday. Two other senior officers, Anuj Sharma and Jawed Shamim, reviewed arrangements at prominent pandals including Tala Prattoy and Santosh Mitra Square.
Following meetings with police personnel and organisers, additional lighting was installed at some pandals where entrances and exits were poorly illuminated. Police also directed committees to dismantle reserved VIP entry channels so that space could be freed for ordinary visitors. Sharma, who heads the fire and emergency services department as director-general of police, instructed organisers to remove the VIP entrances “immediately”.
Exits were widened at some locations, while organisers were told to temporarily close entry gates during periods of heavy rain. Officers also discussed how to manage sudden surges without creating confined movement corridors. Police personnel at some high-footfall pandals said committees had been instructed to avoid rope corridors during rushes and instead restrict access to the sanctum sanctorum, where the Durga idol is installed.
The changes followed the Chorebagan incident, which remains under investigation. Police have retrieved footage from 13 of the 30 CCTV cameras installed at the pandal and are examining the recordings to identify visitors and witnesses. Kunal Agarwal, additional commissioner of police (crime), said the footage showed visitors leaving through three exits, including the VIP exit.
Agarwal said investigators were also trying to identify the person who announced that part of the pandal was about to collapse, as well as the person who instructed the announcement. Eyewitnesses have alleged that the announcement caused panic and triggered the rush. However, Agarwal said police had not yet found evidence in the footage received so far that any part of the pandal had collapsed. The investigation will examine whether the incident occurred only because of rain or whether other factors were involved.
Police and forensic teams visited the sealed Chorebagan pandal for the third consecutive day and collected structural scraps, including broken steel pieces and bamboo fragments, along with CCTV material. Investigators will record statements from organisers and use tower locations to establish where key Puja committee functionaries were on Saturday evening as part of the effort to fix responsibility.
Police also arrested Ainul Haque, a man from Cooch Behar, for allegedly spreading a fabricated video and false message about the Chorebagan stampede. The pandal remained closed to visitors on Monday as the investigation and evidence collection continued.
