An announcement warning of a possible collapse triggered panic inside a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata, unleashing a deadly stampede that claimed 19 lives on Saturday evening, West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari has said.
According to the police, the announcement – “The condition of the pandal is very bad. It will collapse. Please leave” – was made inside the pandal as the crowds jostled through a narrow bylane on Saptami, the seventh day of the festival, even as rain lashed the city and left the streets slippery.
Speaking to reporters late on Saturday, Adhikari said: "Preliminary investigation has revealed that it was an announcement by the organisers which led to the stampede-like situation and resulted in so many deaths.”
Seven people – mostly the pandal organisers – have been arrested so far in connection with the stampede that occurred around 7.30pm at Chor Bagan, one of the city’s most popular Durga Puja venues, in cramped north Kolkata.
Chor Bagan, less than 2km from Howrah Bridge, is one of Kolkata’s oldest Durga Puja pandals. Adhikari has announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta high court to probe the stampede.
Eyewitnesses said people seeking shelter from the rain rushed towards the pandal through the narrow lane. Those inside refused to step out in the rain, while more people pushed in through both the entrance and the exit. Within seconds, people slipped and fell over each other, triggering a cascade.
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“It was then that the organisers started announcing that the pandal could collapse and the people should leave. There was an announcement and the volunteers at the pandal started blowing whistles. This apparently triggered the stampede," a police officer told HT.
The Chor Bagan Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity puja pandal was shut after the stampede. Soon, a few other crowded puja pandals, including Chetla Agrani and Tala Prottay, were also shut, the police said.
The police said they have collected the CCTV footage of the pandal and its vicinity. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under sections 105 and 110 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Adhikari said the puja committee had taken the requisite permission from the Kolkata Police, fire brigade and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and that a SIT headed by a sitting judge would be set up to probe the possible lapses.
“Legal action would be taken against any persons if any lapses are found. It could be club volunteers, temporary home guards, police personnel and security agencies engaged by the club. The individuals will be identified through CCTV footage,” Adhikari said.