The investigation into the Chorbangan pandal stampede in Kolkata, which killed 19 people and injured several others, has intensified after a state-appointed special investigation team found inadequate lighting and extremely narrow entry and exit routes at the venue. Police also arrested a suspected announcer accused of triggering panic with a microphone announcement that the pandal was collapsing.
The incident occurred on the night of the first Saptami, when a rush and pushing outside the pandal led to a stampede. According to the state SIT chief, retired judge Anindita Roy Saraswati, the fatal incident took place just outside the exit gate rather than inside the pandal. She also said investigators had learnt from police that an emergency exit was locked at the time.
Both the Kolkata Police SIT and the state government’s SIT inspected the site on Thursday. The six-member police team, led by an assistant commissioner from the Detective Department, had earlier examined CCTV footage and questioned civic volunteers and club members who were present during the incident. Investigators are attempting to reconstruct the sequence of events from the available footage and witness accounts.
A forensic team also visited the pandal and used a three-dimensional camera to record the structure and its surroundings. Investigators had previously collected samples from the site. The forensic team said the documentation was important because dismantling the pandal could remove evidence of its original condition. The state SIT said the structure would remain unchanged, although it permitted the idol to be immersed. The duration for which the pandal must remain intact has not been specified.
The state SIT chief acknowledged that lighting at the site was very poor and that the routes for entering and leaving the pandal were extremely narrow. She said the lighting had been left in the same condition as it was during the incident. The team is also examining whether the venue had sufficient CCTV cameras and whether the police and Kolkata Municipal Corporation fulfilled their respective responsibilities in relation to the event and its permissions. Investigators are expected to speak to the artist who created the pandal.
Police have arrested Sanjib Raha, also known as Sentu, who was a treasurer of the Chorbangan puja committee. He was detained in Nadia after investigators tracked suspected phone numbers and followed his movements after the incident. Police had identified two people from CCTV footage as suspected announcers, and are searching for the second person.
According to the report, a microphone facility was located in a room outside the pandal that was used by club members and special guests. During the disorder, someone allegedly announced that the pandal was collapsing and urged people to leave quickly. Witnesses told investigators that the announcement may have intensified the panic and pushing. Police are questioning Raha to establish why the announcement was made and whether he acted on someone else’s instructions.
The state government has directed its SIT to submit a final report within three months. The investigation will determine the sequence of events and examine possible lapses in crowd management, emergency access, lighting, surveillance, police deployment and municipal oversight.
