A Kolkata court on Sunday, October 18, remanded seven people arrested in connection with the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede to 10 days of police custody. The incident claimed 19 lives and left several others injured.
The Bankshall Court rejected the police’s request for 14 days of custody, directing that the accused remain in police custody until October 28.
Defence lawyer MD Yashim Raheman said the police had sought custody until November 1. He argued that his clients were visitors to the pandal and had no role in organising the event. According to the defence, they had joined rescue efforts after witnessing the crowding and distress among devotees.
The stampede occurred on Saturday evening when a sudden surge of devotees at the crowded pandal triggered a crush. The bodies of the deceased were handed over to their families on Sunday.
Seven arrested, 14 detained
Those remanded to police custody include Raj Kumar Sewda, alias Raja, secretary of the puja committee, and its vice-president, Santanu Dubey.
The other accused are Biplab Mukherjee, alias Joy, who was involved in erecting the bamboo structure; Koushik Saha and Pintu Dey, who were assigned crowd management duties; and Suman Chakraborty and Rajesh Pal, who were responsible for private security arrangements.
Kolkata Police have registered a suo motu case under Sections 105, 110 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Fourteen other people have been detained for questioning as part of the investigation.
Authorities have also imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, in parts of Kolkata from October 18 to 20 to prevent disturbances.
The West Bengal government has ordered a Special Task Force (STF) probe to establish accountability. It has also announced compensation of ₹25 lakh and a government job for one member of each deceased victim’s family.
Political leaders call for accountability
The tragedy has triggered reactions across the political spectrum, with leaders raising concerns about accountability, security arrangements and crowd management.
West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee appealed to political parties to refrain from trading blame immediately after the incident, saying the priority should be to acknowledge the loss suffered by the victims’ families.
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy described the incident as painful and heartbreaking. He also highlighted the need for caution when organising large public gatherings.
Congress leader Suman Roy Chowdhury demanded an impartial investigation and action against those found responsible. He alleged that police deployment at the Chorbagan pandal was inadequate because personnel were occupied with security arrangements for visiting BJP leaders.
Chowdhury said his party had lodged a complaint over the alleged security lapses and called for those responsible to be arrested within 72 hours. He also demanded action against the puja committee’s office-bearers.
The allegations regarding police deployment and responsibility remain subject to investigation. Authorities are expected to establish the sequence of events and determine whether lapses in crowd management, security or event arrangements contributed to the deaths.
The 10-day police remand is expected to allow investigators to question the accused and examine the circumstances that led to the deadly stampede.