StatesWest Bengal
Chorbagan stampede: puja committee secretary among seven arrested as judge-led probe set up
Police have filed a culpable homicide case over the crush that killed 19 at the north Kolkata pandal. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari says the inquiry's findings will be made public.
Key points
- Police arrested seven people, including the Chorbagan puja committee's secretary and vice-president.
- A probe team will be headed by a sitting Calcutta High Court judge, subject to the Chief Justice's nod.
- Families of the 19 dead get ₹25 lakh and a government job each from the state.
Police in Kolkata have arrested seven people, including two office-bearers of the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja committee, over the stampede that killed 19 people at the pandal on Saturday evening.
Those held include committee secretary Raj Kumar Sewda and vice-president Santanu Dubey; Biplab Mukherjee, who worked on the bamboo structure; Koushik Saha and Pintu Dey, who were handling the crowd; and Suman Chakraborty and Rajesh Pal, supervisors from a private security agency. Police have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder on their own, and fourteen people were detained overnight before the arrests.
The crush began at about 7:40 pm on Saturday, the day of Maha Saptami, as rain fell on a large crowd waiting outside the pandal under the Girish Park police station. About 25 people were hurt. By Sunday two were still in intensive care, and the others were being discharged, the Chief Minister said.
What set it off
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has said an announcement on the organisers’ loudspeaker may have sent the crowd surging, and whistles blown by security guards are also alleged to have added to the panic. A police officer said people waiting outside rushed forward when the rain began, and some fell onto the road. Witnesses spoke of narrow gates and poor lighting. Forensic teams examined the site on Sunday and police are going through CCTV footage.
Adhikari, who spent the night at the hospital, said anyone found responsible would face action, whether committee members, home guards, police or private security. “Nobody will be spared,” he said. He also warned organisers against themed pandals with dim lighting that put visitors at risk.
The probe
The state wants a special investigation team led by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court, with officers from the STF and the CID. The chief secretary is to seek the High Court Chief Justice’s permission. Adhikari said the findings would be made public, within about six weeks of the inquiry being submitted.
Families of the dead, 18 of whom were from West Bengal, will get ₹25 lakh and a government job each, and the injured ₹5 lakh, with the state paying for treatment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of each person killed. The government has also stopped the practice of selling VIP passes for pandals.
The Trinamool Congress said police, ambulance and crowd management arrangements had been inadequate and called for accountability. Union Home Minister Amit Shah postponed his programmes in the state. The state helpline for families is 1800-345-5678.