Over three days after 19 people were killed in Kolkata pandal stampede, the police are reportedly looking for a person who had allegedly misled revellers by announcing that a section of the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal was collapsing. The announcement reportedly triggered panic and led to the stampede on Saturday evening.
The police have not found evidence to substantiate the claim, news agency PTI quoted the police as saying. "At present, there is no evidence to suggest that any part of the pandal was in a position to collapse," the police officer said.
The investigators are examining CCTV footage to establish the sequence of events, police said. Thirty cameras are installed across the premises, footage from 13 covers the area where the incident took place, according to the police.
Police said the analysis indicates that rain caused the exit point to be congested, while the entry point remained open despite the presence of a large crowd inside the pandal.
A stampede situation took place at Kolkata's Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal on Saturday evening, killing 19 and leaving 25 injured.
The investigators are analysing the CCTV footage to reconstruct the crowd's movement and determine how the situation escalated, the officer said, adding that the circumstances under which entry was allowed despite congestion at the exit may also come under scrutiny.
Police said that there are key questions as to who made the announcement and what was the purpose. The announcement that a section of the structure was collapsing allegedly triggered panic among visitors.
"Police have not found evidence to substantiate the claim," the officer said.
The mic announcement warning of a possible structural collapse is believed to be one of the reasons that led to crowd crush at the Kolkata pandal.
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 crowd jostled through a narrow bylane on Saptami, the seventh day of the festival, while rain lashed the city and left the streets slippery.
The announcement was also mentioned by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari as he 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 Chorbagan, one of the city’s most popular Durga Puja venues, in cramped north Kolkata.