A Kolkata stampede at the Chorebagan Durga Puja pandal killed at least 19 people and injured 24 others on Saturday evening, prompting police to detain 12 people and the West Bengal government to order a special investigation into crowd-management and safety lapses.
The stampede occurred during Maha Saptami as rain accompanied a surge in the crowd at the north Kolkata pandal. A police officer told PTI that the detained people included organisers of the puja, and that officers were questioning them to establish what led to the incident.
“We have detained 12 people in connection with our probe into the Chorebagan incident. Our officers are talking to them to find out the cause that led to today’s mishap. If any lapses are found, we will act as per the law,” the officer said.
The detentions followed a promise of strict action from West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari against those found responsible for failures that may have contributed to crowd mismanagement at the venue. The chief minister said investigators would examine available CCTV footage and identify whether responsibility lay with members of the puja committee, homeguards, temporary workers, police personnel or private security guards.
“We will check the footage and take appropriate measures against those who failed to manage the crowd. That could be a member of the puja committee, a homeguard, a temporary worker, a policeman, or a private company security guard. Nobody will be spared,” Adhikari said.
The Anti-Rowdy Section of Kolkata Police has collected CCTV footage from the site as part of the investigation. The footage is expected to be examined alongside the accounts gathered from those detained and other material related to the movement and management of visitors at the pandal.
The chief minister also announced the formation of a special investigation team headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court. The SIT will include members of the Special Task Force, the Criminal Investigation Department and other departments. Its mandate, according to the supplied report, is to investigate the circumstances surrounding the stampede and determine whether safety or crowd-control failures contributed to the deaths and injuries.
The incident has also led the state government to order a review of prominent Durga Puja venues. A panel led by Disaster Management Principal Secretary Rajesh Sinha, Fire Services Director General Anuj Sharma and Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Javed Shamim will assess crowd-management arrangements, exit routes and structural safety at major pandals.
The panel will visit prominent venues and recommend comprehensive guidelines intended to prevent similar incidents. The inspections will cover security arrangements as well as the safety of temporary structures used by visitors during the festival.
The government has directed organisers of major pujas to follow the panel’s safety recommendations. The instruction places visitor safety ahead of elaborate structures and themes, which can draw large crowds and create additional pressure on entry, exit and circulation arrangements.
The Kolkata incident has brought the operational risks of large temporary public venues into focus. Durga Puja pandals function as high-footfall gathering spaces during the festival, requiring coordination between organisers, police, security personnel, fire services and disaster-management authorities. In this case, the investigation will examine the specific sequence of events, including the crowd surge during rain and the arrangements in place at the Chorebagan venue.
The supplied report also refers to a loudspeaker announcement as a possible trigger for the surge, but the authorities have not established the cause conclusively. Police are examining CCTV footage and questioning those detained before determining whether any individual or organisation failed to meet its crowd-management responsibilities.
The immediate official response will now proceed on two tracks: the SIT investigation into the Chorebagan deaths and injuries, and safety inspections at other major Durga Puja venues. The next steps are the examination of CCTV footage, the questioning of detained people and the panel’s assessment of crowd control, exit routes and structural safety at prominent pandals.
