Police investigating the Chorebagan incident in Kolkata plan to question two arrested announcers together as they reconstruct the sequence of announcements made before and during the pandal disaster that reportedly killed 19 people and injured several others.
According to Anandabazar, investigators are examining who instructed the announcement that the pandal was collapsing, when it was made and what happened immediately before and after the incident. The questioning is intended to match the statements and information already collected from the two announcers.
Sanjib Raha, known as Sentu, was responsible for the main announcements at the Chorebagan Sarbojanin Puja, the report said. Police first arrested him in connection with the alleged microphone announcement. They later arrested Kaushal Majumdar, known as Kalia, on Friday morning. A Bankshall court has ordered Kalia to remain in police custody until 6 November.
The investigation is focused on the role of the public-address system during the emergency. A video circulating on social media appears to contain an announcement asking people to leave quickly after a part of the pandal was said to be collapsing. Anandabazar said it had not independently verified the authenticity of the videos. Police are examining whether the announcement increased panic and contributed to the rush among visitors.
Kalia has made a separate account through posts published on his Facebook handle after news of his arrest became public. In a handwritten note shared through the account, he claimed that he had gone to the club shortly before the incident and that the officer-in-charge and another senior officer of Girish Park police station were present there. He said he and another club member went to bring tea for them and then returned to work inside the club premises.
According to the note, Kalia heard a sound 10 to 15 minutes later. He claimed that the police officers left the club after hearing it, and that Kabir, the club secretary’s son, then told them that the rear section of the pandal had collapsed. Kalia further claimed that a police officer asked them to make an announcement, but that the person handling the microphone was no longer present. He said he then made the announcement despite having no prior experience of doing so.
These claims are part of Kalia’s account and are among the matters investigators are expected to examine during the joint questioning. The police have not, in the supplied report, publicly confirmed his version of events.
The reported deaths followed a rush and suspected stampede after the pandal-related incident. The case has also raised questions about emergency communication, crowd movement and the process for verifying casualty and injury records after a mass-crowd disaster.
The impact on injured visitors is still being documented. Sudipta Haldar, a resident of Sonarpur, told police that the names of his two sisters, who were injured in the incident, were missing from the injured persons’ list. He visited the Chorebagan pandal on Saturday to submit their names and documents while seeking government assistance for their treatment.
Investigators are expected to use the questioning of Sentu and Kalia to establish the timing of the announcement, the instructions given to the announcers and the sequence leading to the crowd movement. Kalia’s police custody will continue until 6 November as the investigation proceeds.
