Police have detained 12 people, including organisers of the Chorbagan Durga Puja, in connection with a stampede in north Kolkata that claimed 19 lives and left 24 others injured on the evening of October 17.
The detentions followed West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s assurance that strict action would be taken against anyone found responsible for alleged lapses in crowd management at the puja pandal.
“We have detained 12 people in connection with our probe into the Chorbagan incident. Our officers are talking to them to find out the cause that led to the mishap. If any lapses are found, we will act as per the law,” a police officer told PTI.
The stampede occurred on Maha Saptami amid a surge of visitors and rainfall, triggering chaos at the crowded pandal.
SIT probe announced
Chief Minister Adhikari announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court, would investigate the incident. The team is expected to include members of the Special Task Force (STF), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and other departments.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police’s Anti-Rowdy Section has collected CCTV footage from the site to reconstruct the sequence of events, determine how the crowd surge occurred and identify possible lapses in crowd control.
“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,” the Chief Minister said.
The investigation will examine whether shortcomings in arrangements by the puja organisers, security personnel or police contributed to the stampede.
Authorities have indicated that legal action will be taken against those found to have neglected their responsibilities. The probe is expected to establish the circumstances that led to the tragedy and determine accountability for the deaths and injuries.