Kolkata stampede probe: Three months too short for report, but will try our best, says SIT chief

Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati (retired), who is leading the special investigation team (SIT) probing the Kolkata Durga Puja stampede, said on Thursday that the three-month deadline to submit its report was inadequate, though the team would make every effort to meet it.

The six-member SIT was formed in consultation with the Calcutta High Court to determine the cause of the October 17 stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, which claimed 19 lives and injured 25 people. The panel has also been tasked with recommending measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

"SIT members will meet soon to chalk out a roadmap for the investigation. We will visit the site to ascertain the cause of the incident," the retired judge told a vernacular news channel.

About the three-month deadline set by the state government to submit its report, she said, "It is a short duration, but we will try our best to meet the deadline."

The inquiry will also look into whether the pandal premises were equipped to safely accommodate the crowd and how the movement of people through entry and exit points may have contributed to the disaster. The SIT will reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the stampede, including the initial surge and its escalation.

Investigators will explore several possible triggers, from overcrowding and bad weather to rumours, public announcements, whistles, sudden movements and panic among visitors. They will also examine whether an electrical outage or structural shortcomings played a part in the October 17 tragedy.

It will scrutinise CCTV footage, mobile phone clips, forensic findings, call records, police station and control room logs, medical records and other evidence related to the incident.

The SIT will also examine the preparedness and response of the organisers, police, private security personnel, volunteers, ambulance services, hospitals, fire services and civic authorities.

Besides the retired judge, the SIT comprises the principal secretary of the Disaster Management and Civil Defence Department, the director general and inspector general of police (DGP) of the Special Task Force, a representative of the West Bengal Police chief not below the rank of additional director general, a representative of the Home and Hill Affairs Department not below the rank of joint secretary, and a representative of the National Disaster Response Force in Kolkata.