The investigation into the Chorbagan stampede in Kolkata, in which 19 people died during a rush at a puja pandal, has identified severely limited lighting and narrow entry and exit routes as key areas of inquiry, while police have arrested a suspected announcer linked to the panic.
A six-member Special Investigation Team of Kolkata Police, led by an assistant commissioner from the detective department, and a separate state government SIT inspected the pandal on Thursday. The state team is headed by retired judge Anindita Ray Saraswati and has been asked by the state government to submit its final report within three months.
The stampede occurred late on Saturday night, the first Saptami of the festival, when crowding and pushing led to a chaotic situation outside the pandal. The state SIT inspected the interior and exterior areas, the entry and exit routes and the location where the crowd gathered. The team also recorded video of the site.
After the inspection, Ray Saraswati said the lighting had been kept in the same condition as during the incident and was “very low”. She also said the routes for entering and leaving the pandal were extremely narrow and that a large number of people may have entered through the restricted space. According to information received by the SIT from police, the emergency exit gate was locked at the time of the incident.
The state SIT chief said the deaths did not occur inside the pandal but just outside the exit gate. The investigation will examine the roles of Kolkata Police and the municipal authorities, along with the organisers, security personnel and other people involved in approving or managing the venue. The team will also speak to the artist associated with the pandal and check whether sufficient closed-circuit cameras had been installed.
The pandal has been kept in the same condition as it was during the incident to preserve evidence. Forensic experts used a 3D camera to document the pandal and its surrounding areas and collected samples. Investigators said the documentation was important because dismantling the structure could otherwise result in the loss of evidence about its original layout and condition. Ray Saraswati said the idol could be immersed, but the pandal itself would remain unchanged, without specifying how long it would be preserved.
The Kolkata Police SIT had earlier examined CCTV footage and questioned civic volunteers and club members who were present at the venue during the incident. Investigators are reconstructing the sequence of events, including the crowd movement and the response of those managing the pandal.
Police have also arrested Sanjib Raha, also known as Sentu, from Nadia. He was a treasurer of the Chorbagan puja committee and had allegedly been missing since the incident. Investigators suspect that he was one of two people who made an announcement over the microphone saying that the pandal was collapsing. Witnesses told investigators that the announcement caused panic and led people to rush towards the exit.
Police identified two suspected announcers through CCTV footage and tracked several telephone numbers allegedly used to contact family members and friends after the incident. Raha’s phone was reportedly switched off after the stampede. Investigators are questioning him to determine why the announcement was made and whether anyone had instructed him to make it, while efforts continue to locate the second suspect.
