Police have stopped visitors from climbing a 50-foot hill-like structure at a Kali Puja pandal in Barasat after finding that its access routes and visitor capacity could not safely handle the expected crowd. The restriction follows the Chorbagan Durga Puja tragedy and has prompted the organisers to threaten cancellation of the puja.
The pandal, created by Ashoknagar Sanghashree Club in Barasat’s Ashoknagar, is modelled on Adiyogi hill in Tamil Nadu. It features a Shiva statue on top of the hill-like structure, with the Kali idol placed beneath it. The organisers had planned to allow visitors to climb the structure as part of the pandal experience.
An officer said Barasat SP J Marcy inspected the pandal on the eve of Kali Puja and made it clear that visitors would not be permitted to enter in that manner. According to the police, the entry and exit routes were not wide enough and the height of the structure created additional safety concerns.
The police assessment was also based on information supplied by the organisers’ structural engineer. The structure could accommodate a maximum of 20 people at a time, including security personnel and club members. After excluding those personnel, police estimated that only about 10 visitors could be allowed inside at any given time. Officers concluded that such a limited capacity would be difficult to manage during the expected festival crowds.
Despite the instructions, visitors were allegedly allowed inside during the inauguration on Saturday. Police intervened and stopped public entry again on Sunday. The intervention has left the organisers and the police at odds over whether the pandal’s main attraction can be used without creating an unsafe crowding situation.
The SP said public entry to the structure had been prohibited, but visitors could view the idol from the ground. She also clarified that there was no order to stop the puja or the fair, separating the safety restriction from the wider religious and public programme.
Tapas Pal, representing the puja committee, said the opportunity to climb the hill was the central attraction of the pandal. He warned that the organisers would be compelled to call off the puja if visitors were not allowed to climb the structure. The immediate next step is therefore dependent on whether the committee accepts the ground-view arrangement or proceeds with its threat to suspend the event.
