The state-appointed Special Investigation Team has found that the Chorbagan puja pandal had very low lighting and extremely narrow entry and exit routes when it inspected the site after a stampede, while confirming that the idol may be immersed but the pandal must remain unchanged for the investigation.
The six-member team visited the pandal at around 6.50 pm on Thursday under the leadership of retired judge Anindita Roy Saraswati. The investigators examined both the interior and exterior areas, the layout of the entry and exit routes, and the conditions at the site during the incident. The team also recorded video of the pandal.
Roy Saraswati said the site had been kept exactly as it was at the time of the incident. She said the team had examined the entire location and confirmed that there was no objection to the idol’s immersion. However, she directed that the pandal itself remain unchanged and that the immersion be carried out without altering the structure.
The inspection identified two immediate physical concerns. The SIT chief said the lighting was very poor and had been left in the same condition as during the incident. She also said the routes for entering and leaving the pandal were extremely narrow. According to her assessment, the movement of a large number of people through the restricted passage may have contributed to the accident.
The team said the incident did not occur inside the puja pandal but just outside the exit gate. That distinction will form part of the investigation into how people moved out of the venue and how the situation developed near the exit area.
The SIT will question everyone involved in the construction, decoration and management of the pandal. The team will also speak to the artist responsible for the structure. The role of Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation is expected to come under examination amid questions about crowd management, safety arrangements and official oversight.
Investigators will also check whether sufficient closed-circuit television cameras had been installed at the venue. The team is examining reports that, during the disorder, someone made an announcement over the public-address system claiming that the pandal was collapsing and asking people to leave quickly. Witnesses have alleged that the announcement caused panic and intensified the rush towards the exit.
One person suspected of being among those who made the announcements has already been detained in Nadia, according to the report. The SIT chief said the role of the announcers would also be investigated.
The decision to preserve the pandal in its original condition means that investigators will be able to examine the physical layout, lighting and access arrangements before those features are altered. The team’s next steps include questioning the stakeholders connected with the pandal and assessing the available surveillance and crowd-management evidence.
