West Bengal authorities have ordered tighter crowd-management and emergency-safety arrangements for Kali Puja and Chhath Puja after a stampede at Chorebagan in Calcutta last month killed 19 people. Meetings held in Malda and Jalpaiguri on Monday focused on preventing a repeat of the incident during upcoming religious gatherings.
Gouri Shankar Ghosh, the state minister for libraries and mass education extension, directed the police and administration in Malda to take additional precautions at festival venues and Chhath ghats. He said officials had learnt lessons from the Chorebagan incident and were preparing measures to protect devotees during large gatherings.
The minister also alleged that opposition political forces could attempt to create disturbances during Kali Puja and Chhath Puja. He said the administration suspected sabotage in the Chorebagan incident, but the report did not cite evidence publicly establishing that claim. Ghosh’s remarks drew criticism from Opposition leaders, who accused the government of diverting attention from administrative shortcomings.
Ghosh said awareness announcements were being made to prevent panic if rumours or alarming messages circulated among crowds. He specifically referred to the large gatherings expected at ghats on the evening before Chhath Puja and again early the following morning. He said the administration would ensure security during Chhath Puja and Kali Puja idol immersion and would not allow disruption.
The arrangements are being planned against the backdrop of the fatal Chorebagan stampede, which has increased scrutiny of crowd control at religious events in the state. The measures described in the report focus on communication, monitoring and physical access arrangements rather than only on post-incident emergency response.
In Jalpaiguri, state school education minister Dipak Barman said drones would be deployed to monitor crowds and support people management at Chhath Puja ghats across the district. The administration will use the aerial monitoring to observe crowd conditions at busy locations, according to the minister’s statement after a review meeting.
Kali Puja organisers in Jalpaiguri have also been directed to appoint a responsible committee member to make public announcements and manage visitors at pandals. Additional emergency exit gates have been made mandatory, Barman said. The measures place responsibility on organisers to support crowd movement and provide alternative exits in case of congestion or an emergency.
Opposition reactions have centred on accountability for the Chorebagan incident. Biswajit Ghosh, a Trinamool Congress leader aligned with the Mamata Banerjee faction, said the administration should acknowledge its shortcomings instead of attributing the incident to political propaganda. CPM leader Debjyoti Sinha also criticised the minister’s remarks.
The immediate administrative focus is now on implementing the announced arrangements at ghats and pandals before the festivals. The report does not provide details of the number of drones, the locations to be monitored, the required capacity of emergency exits or a district-wise deployment plan.
