The West Bengal government has ordered an expanded probe into the Chorbagan Durga Puja stampede in North Kolkata, while police move against people accused of circulating misinformation about the tragedy. Nineteen people died and 25 were injured at Chorbagan Sarbojanin around 7.40 pm on October 17.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Tuesday that fake videos linked to the incident originated from Bangladesh and were later shared or endorsed by people in different parts of the state. He said 135 people had been identified and instructed the police to book them under non-bailable sections.
“Fake videos of the Chorbagan incident were being made viral on social media. This is mainly done from Bangladesh. From Coochbehar to various parts of the state some people shared it. Some commented on it. Action will be taken against them,” Adhikari told mediapersons after visiting the families of victims.
Hours before the statement, the Special Task Force of the West Bengal Police arrested a man from Cooch Behar district for allegedly spreading misinformation about the stampede’s death toll on social media. The police action and the proposed cases place digital claims about a public disaster alongside the government’s investigation into what caused the crowd crush.
Questions have also been raised about the absence of CCTV footage from the location where an announcement was made. Responding to the issue, Adhikari said he would not interfere with the investigation and that a special investigation team had been constituted. “I have constituted an SIT, and it will look into the matter. I have received a lot of footage. Why should I disclose everything?” he said.
The government is also seeking the consent of a retired judge to examine the incident. The proposed probe committee will include the Principal Secretary of the State Disaster Management Department, the West Bengal Police and the National Disaster Response Force. According to Adhikari, the committee will investigate the tragedy and recommend measures for the next Durga Puja.
The Chief Minister also defended the decision to shift some injured people from Calcutta Medical College to a private hospital. He said the private facility had better healthcare capacity at the time and that the move was intended to save lives. He added that the state’s government hospital would need another one and a half years to match the private hospital’s facilities.
The response to the stampede now involves three parallel tracks: determining how the crowd disaster occurred, assessing the emergency medical response, and identifying those accused of spreading false information. The SIT, the proposed retired-judge-led inquiry and the probe committee are expected to report on the incident and recommend long-term safety measures for future Durga Puja gatherings.
