The Durga idol at Kolkata’s Chorbagan puja venue will be immersed only after the Special Investigation Team decides the date, while the pandal remains sealed and preserved as a crime scene following a stampede that killed 19 people during Saptami.
The SIT allowed the idol’s immersion on Thursday evening but directed that the pandal at Sarada Park, near Girish Park, be kept intact in its original form. Investigators are expected to examine the structure and collect physical evidence before finalising their report.
Retired High Court judge Anindita Roy Saraswati, who heads the SIT, said the idol’s immersion could be considered but insisted that the pandal must remain unchanged. A senior Lalbazar officer said the SIT would decide the date of immersion after a meeting held on Thursday to discuss the process.
The decision has altered the customary Dashami farewell at a venue that had drawn lakhs of devotees in the days before the stampede. The usual rituals, including the gathering of dhakis, bands, crowds on CR Avenue and processions towards the immersion ghat, did not take place at the cordoned-off site.
Instead, a ceremonial immersion of the sacred pitcher, or ghot, was carried out at about 9am on Wednesday to maintain religious tradition. Only two local women and the priest have been allowed access to the site to conduct daily prayers and continue the rituals.
Heavy security has been deployed around the venue as the investigation continues. The pandal may remain in place for several weeks before it can be dismantled, depending on the SIT’s inspection of its structural layout and the physical evidence inside it.
The continuing restriction has also created difficulties for residents in the congested neighbourhood. Ankit Singh, a local resident, said the community would support the preservation of the pandal because 19 lives had been lost, but asked the administration to remove barricades and flexes that were blocking access to homes. He also raised concerns about stray fireworks landing on the structure during Kali Puja.
Residents have questioned the expansion of the puja from a local event into a large-scale attraction. Singh said the celebration had been a homely affair until 2016 but later occupied a playground for six to seven months each year and restricted local access. Other residents said they planned to meet in the coming months to discuss taking responsibility for the puja themselves and returning it to an open community event.
Residents also pointed to an earlier crowd-related incident at the venue. Nitesh Singh said a near-stampede situation had occurred during Nabami in 2023, after which local residents and police blocked entrances, temporarily switched off pandal lights and managed the crowd. He said volunteers from outside the area may not understand the local topography adequately.
The immediate next step is the SIT’s inspection of the pandal and its decision on the date and arrangements for the idol’s immersion. The venue will remain preserved until investigators complete the evidence-gathering process.
