The Kolkata pandal stampede that killed 19 people and injured 25 others followed a combination of inadequate crowd management, insufficient security deployment, narrow access points and announcements that confused visitors, a senior Kolkata Police officer said on Sunday.
The incident occurred at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, when a large crowd surged amid rain during Saptami celebrations. Police said circumstantial evidence, CCTV footage and accounts from local residents and eyewitnesses pointed to serious shortcomings in how the venue was managed.
“We have gathered sufficient evidence pointing to gross mismanagement by the puja organisers,” the officer said. According to the police, there was no clear plan to manage the large number of visitors and arrangements were handled verbally rather than through a defined crowd-control system.
The officer said the number of police personnel and private security guards deployed at the venue was inadequate. Locals also alleged that police personnel were concentrated mainly near the VIP entrance, leaving other parts of the venue with insufficient supervision. These accounts are part of the ongoing investigation and are being cross-checked by the police.
Police said people attempted to escape through the entrance gate during the stampede. Both the gates and the approach road were narrow, which officials said contributed to the accident. Announcements concerning entry, exit and the movement of visitors were also inadequate, leaving people confused during the rush.
Investigators are examining a video recording of an announcement asking visitors to leave the pandal because the structure was allegedly about to collapse. Police said they were trying to identify who made the announcement and determine what prompted it. The statement has not, by itself, established that the structure was in danger of collapsing.
A team of forensic experts visited the pandal on Saturday night and collected evidence from the site. Another forensic team was scheduled to visit the venue on Sunday, while officers from the Detective Department were also expected to examine the location as part of the probe.
Kolkata Police said survivors would be questioned to obtain first-hand accounts and cross-check information gathered from local residents and other eyewitnesses. The police officer said survivor statements would help investigators establish how the crowd moved, how the announcements affected visitors and what happened at the entrances during the surge.
The incident has placed the management of large public gatherings under scrutiny, particularly the coordination between event organisers, private security personnel and the police. The preliminary police account has focused on the physical constraints around the pandal, the number and positioning of security personnel, and the absence of a clear system for communicating with visitors.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 on roads adjoining the Chorbagan pandal on Sunday morning. The restrictions cover roads surrounding the venue, which falls under Bowbazar police station, and are scheduled to remain in force until October 20. The order prohibits gatherings on the roads around the pandal.
The state government announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a Group D government job for the family of each deceased victim, according to the report. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari also ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court to investigate the incident.
The investigation will now focus on establishing the sequence of events, identifying the source of the announcement about the pandal’s alleged structural danger, assessing the deployment of police and private security personnel, and determining how the venue’s gates and approach road affected the movement of visitors.
