Kolkata Police have imposed a three-day restriction on gatherings of five or more people around the Chorbagan area and arrested seven people in connection with a serious incident at a puja venue, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin. The restrictions cover roads linking College Street, Central Avenue and Eden Hospital Road, placing immediate limits on movement and crowd formation in one of central Kolkata’s busiest areas.
The police order applies to roads around the Chorbagan puja pandal under the jurisdiction of Bowbazar police station. According to the reported notification, gatherings of five or more people have been prohibited from the stretch between Kolutola Street near College Street and Eden Hospital Road, as well as adjoining sections of Chittaranjan Avenue, Kolutola Street and Eden Hospital Road.
The restriction is scheduled to remain in force for three days. The measure follows what the report describes as a serious disaster in the Chorbagan area. The supplied report does not provide further details about the nature of the incident, the number of people affected or the precise circumstances that led to the police action.
Lalbazar, Kolkata Police’s headquarters, has also begun an investigation and registered a suo motu case at Girish Park police station. The case includes provisions described in the report as relating to attempted culpable homicide, conspiracy and other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Seven people have been arrested. They include Rajkumar Sewda, also known as Raja, and Shantanu Dubey, identified as the secretary and vice-president of the Chorbagan puja committee. Biplab Mukhopadhyay, who was reportedly responsible for installing the bamboo structure, has also been arrested.
Kaushik Saha and Pintu De were allegedly responsible for crowd management and checking VIP passes, according to the report. Suman Chakraborty and Rajesh Pal, described as officials of a private security agency, are among those arrested. Police had earlier detained several puja organisers and others for questioning before making the arrests.
The arrests place responsibility for crowd control, temporary structures and private security at the centre of the investigation. However, the supplied report does not establish the specific actions allegedly taken by each accused person or the evidence collected against them. Those details are expected to emerge through the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings.
The police presence in the area has been strengthened, with additional personnel deployed around the Chorbagan locality. The restrictions are intended to prevent further crowding near the affected venue and to allow investigators to conduct their work, while also managing movement through roads that connect several important central Kolkata neighbourhoods.
Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari has reportedly said that those responsible would not be spared. Kolkata Police’s immediate next steps are to continue questioning the arrested persons, investigate the circumstances of the incident and enforce the three-day restriction around the Chorbagan puja venue and adjoining roads.
