The special investigation team probing the crowd crush in Kolkata’s Chorbagan area during Durga Puja has questioned 12 police and fire department officials, including two deputy commissioners, as investigators examine possible lapses in the area’s safety arrangements.
The questioning took place between Friday and Saturday at Writers’ Buildings, where the officials’ statements were recorded separately, according to Sanmarg. The inquiry is examining the circumstances that led to the incident and whether failures in crowd-control and safety planning contributed to it.
The Kolkata Police and fire department officials called by the SIT included two officers of deputy commissioner rank, personnel from Girish Park police station and several senior officers from Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters. The SIT has summoned 16 Kolkata Police officials in total as part of the investigation.
Saturday marked the second meeting of the SIT. Its chairperson, retired judge Anindita Roy Saraswati, said after the day’s questioning that statements from 12 officials had been recorded. She expressed satisfaction with the progress of the investigation and said the inquiry was moving in the right direction.
The officials were called to provide information about the arrangements in place during the Durga Puja event and the sequence of events surrounding the crowd crush. The SIT is seeking to establish the actual cause of the incident and identify where, and at what level, there may have been negligence in the safety system.
The investigation is proceeding on the basis of statements from officials and other people connected with the incident. The SIT chairperson said additional individuals would be questioned in the coming days. Depending on the requirements of the inquiry, local residents and artists associated with the Puja pandal may also be brought within its scope.
The involvement of police, fire services, local residents and pandal organisers reflects the number of agencies and stakeholders involved in managing large religious gatherings in dense urban neighbourhoods. The inquiry’s findings could clarify how responsibilities were divided between enforcement agencies, emergency services and event organisers at Chorbagan.
The questioning of the 12 officials is the second reported stage of the SIT’s inquiry. Investigators are expected to continue recording statements before determining the circumstances of the incident and whether any specific safety or administrative lapses occurred. No conclusion on responsibility has been announced at this stage.
