Kolkata Police has ordered Kali Puja organisers to stop visitors from using pandals as rain shelters and to tighten crowd-control arrangements after the Chorebagan stampede killed 19 people and injured at least 25. The directives were issued at a meeting with organisers at Dhana Dhanya Auditorium in Alipore, attended by police commissioner Ajay Nand.
An officer who attended the meeting said visitors should not be allowed to rush into pandals for shelter during rain. The police said a sudden influx of people into covered areas could create congestion and increase the risk of another crowd surge. The instruction is among several measures being introduced after people allegedly moved towards a covered area following rainfall during the Chorebagan incident.
“Pandals cannot be treated as shelters from rain,” the officer said, stressing that entry would have to be regulated during adverse weather. The directive places responsibility on organisers to manage movement at the entrances and prevent visitors outside from entering pandals in an uncontrolled manner.
Kolkata Police has also ordered multiple inspections of Kali Puja pandals ahead of the celebrations. Local police stations have been asked to inspect major pandals in their respective areas, with checks covering crowd-management arrangements, entry and exit routes and other safety measures. These inspections are expected to begin from Tuesday.
For very large pandals, the police has recommended inspections by the Public Works Department. An officer said the PWD should examine structural and other safety aspects of the installations. The recommendation brings civic engineering scrutiny into the preparations for large temporary structures, alongside police checks focused on the movement and concentration of visitors.
Organisers have been told to keep exit gates wider than entry gates to reduce congestion and make it easier for visitors to leave crowded areas. The arrangement is intended to limit bottlenecks where incoming and outgoing movement can intersect, particularly at busy pandals and during periods of heavy footfall.
The meeting also reiterated restrictions on fireworks. Only green firecrackers will be permitted between 8pm and 10pm. Police officials said the lessons from the Chorebagan stampede would remain central to Kali Puja safety planning, with inspections and crowd-management preparations forming the immediate next steps.
