Kolkata Police are preparing to question two arrested announcers together as investigators examine whether a public announcement about the pandal collapsing contributed to the Chorbagan Durga Puja disaster in which 19 people died. The police are also considering collecting voice samples from the two men, subject to court permission.
The arrested announcers are Sanjib Raha, also known as Sentu, and Kushal Majumdar, known as Kalia. Police have not publicly identified who made the announcement or who instructed it. Investigators are examining whether the warning was issued before or after panic and crowd movement began at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin puja venue.
According to the report, several videos from the incident have circulated on social media, although their authenticity has not been independently verified by Anandabazar.com. One video recorded from within the crowd appears to contain the announcement that the pandal was collapsing. Police are studying CCTV footage to establish the sequence of events, including what announcements were being made when the crowd began to surge.
A police source said Sentu had primary responsibility for announcements at the puja. Investigators therefore want to question him and Kalia face to face to clarify what happened that evening. Voice comparison may also be used to determine whether either of the two men made the announcement heard in the video. The report said police require court permission to obtain a voice sample for such testing.
Kalia was remanded in police custody until November 6 by the Bankshall court on Saturday. Sentu was already in police custody. Police have arrested nine people in connection with the incident so far, with the two announcers being the latest arrests.
The investigation is being conducted by two teams. One is led by Kolkata Police, while the state has formed a special investigation team headed by retired judge Anindita Roy Saraswati. The retired judge has already inspected the puja venue and said the pandal would be preserved for the investigation even after the idol was immersed.
The immersion took place at Nimtala Ghat on Saturday evening under police supervision. The arrangements were made by police after no representatives of the puja organisers were seen at the venue during the process. Police brought an official from the Simla Byayam Samiti puja to assist with the arrangements.
Parts of the pandal gate had been cut on Friday to allow the idol to be removed. On Saturday, 36 people helped move it out on to the road. An attempt was made to lift the idol on to a lorry using ropes and bamboo, but the process was unsuccessful. It was eventually placed on an iron cart and taken along Central Avenue to Nimtala Ghat, where the immersion was completed.
The investigation will now focus on the CCTV sequence, the source and timing of the announcement, the roles of the two arrested announcers and any instructions issued within the puja committee during the crowd emergency.
