Kolkata, Oct 22: The report of the six-member judicial inquiry committee constituted by the West Bengal government to investigate the October 17 stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, which claimed 19 lives, is expected to play a major role in determining the safety measures to be implemented at major community puja pandals from next year.
A state government source said the committee would examine several aspects of crowd management and safety arrangements at the pandal, including permissible footfall, entry and exit routes, installation of CCTV cameras, and emergency evacuation facilities.
“The findings of the probe panel on the lapses under these factors in the case of the Chorbagan Sarbojanin pandal will be studied in detail. Based on those findings, precautionary measures will be adopted for major Puja pandals from next year,” a state government official said. The committee is expected to examine CCTV footage, mobile phone video clips and medical reports of those killed and injured in the stampede to establish the sequence of events and identify possible lapses.
The panel members may also record the accounts of eyewitnesses to the tragedy as part of the investigation. Meanwhile, the committee’s chairperson, retired Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati, told the media on Thursday that the panel had been asked to submit its report to the state government within three months.
She acknowledged that completing the inquiry within the stipulated period would be challenging. “I admit the task is challenging. But we will be making all efforts to meet the challenge and submit the report in time,” she said. Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati said the inquiry would seek to establish responsibility for the tragedy and determine the reasons behind the high death toll.
The findings would also form the basis for instructions to community Durga Puja committees to prevent similar incidents in the future. “Next, we will have to find out the reasons for so many deaths. The culprits have to be held accountable. Accordingly, instructions will be given to the community Durga Puja committees, so that such tragedies do not happen in the future,” she added.
The formation of the panel followed the state government’s initial attempt to have a serving judge of the Calcutta High Court head the inquiry. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had expressed a preference for a serving judge to lead the judicial probe into the stampede. Accordingly, the Chief Secretary’s office sent a request to the office of Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge for the appointment.
However, on Tuesday, Chief Justice Ghuge informed the state government that, in view of an earlier Supreme Court order, a serving judge could not be appointed to head such a commission. The government was advised to choose a retired judge to lead the inquiry.
The state government announced the formation of the six-member judicial probe committee on Wednesday, paving the way for a detailed investigation into the circumstances that led to the fatal stampede and the safety arrangements that need to be strengthened at major Durga Puja gatherings.
IANS