West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a sitting Calcutta High Court judge, will investigate the stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata that killed at least 19 people and injured 25 others.
The stampede took place at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal on Saturday evening, October 17, amid heavy crowds and rain on Maha Saptami. Adhikari said the state government would write to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to nominate a sitting judge to head the probe.
The SIT will include officials from the Special Task Force (STF), the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and other departments.
Track the Kolkata stampede LIVE
CM announces compensation, government jobs
Adhikari announced ₹25 lakh in compensation and a Group D government job for the family of each person who died in the stampede. Those injured will receive ₹5 lakh each, and the state government will cover their full treatment costs at a hospital of their choice.
The chief minister said authorities were examining CCTV footage to establish what happened and identify those responsible for any crowd-management failures.
"We will check the footage and take appropriate measures against those who failed to manage the crowd. That could be a member of the puja committee, a homeguard, a temporary worker, a policeman, or a private company security guard. Nobody will be spared," Adhikari said.
According to the chief minister, officials had detained some puja committee members, private security guards and personnel on duty. Their detention does not establish responsibility for the incident.
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Police examine stampede CCTV footage
A police officer said people waiting outside the pandal rushed forward when rain began, causing some to fall on the road and triggering the stampede. Adhikari also said an announcement made by the organisers led to a sudden surge in the crowd.
The exact sequence of events and responsibility for the incident are yet to be established. Kolkata Police's Anti-Rowdy Section has collected CCTV footage as part of the investigation.
Following the incident, authorities advised popular theme-based pandals to temporarily close to prevent further crowding. Kolkata has around 3,500 Durga Puja pandals.
PM Modi, Mamata Banerjee, Amit Shah express grief
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced financial assistance of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased person. Those injured will receive ₹50,000.
"The stampede in Kolkata is extremely distressing. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest," Modi said.
Also Read: 'Extremely distressing': PM Modi mourns Kolkata stampede deaths, assures all possible aid to victims
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed grief over the incident, offering prayers for the recovery of the injured and strength for their families. President Droupadi Murmu and Governor RN Ravi also conveyed their condolences.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah postponed his scheduled programmes and said he would visit the injured.
Helpline for affected families
The state government has issued a toll-free helpline for information related to the stampede. Kolkata Police also provided a control room number for assistance.
Toll-free helpline: 1800-345-5678
Kolkata Police control room: 033-2214-1310