Police believe that both men were making announcements at the pandal on the first evening of Durga Puja, warning visitors that a portion of the structure was collapsing and urging them to leave immediately.
The total number of arrests in the stampede case has risen to nine. (PTI Photo)
Kolkata,Oct 23, 2026 15:00 IST
Another person was arrested on Friday in connection with the stampede at Kolkata's Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal that killed 19 people, taking the total number of arrests in the case to nine, police said.
The accused, Kushal Majumdar, was arrested from the Girish Park area of the city, while another accused, Sanjib Raha, was detained in Nadia district on Thursday and later arrested, a senior Kolkata Police officer told PTI.
Police alleged that both men were making announcements at the pandal on the first evening of Durga Puja, warning visitors that a portion of the structure was collapsing and urging them to leave immediately. The announcements allegedly triggered panic and a rush towards the exit, leading to the deadly stampede.
"Both of them were making announcements at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal on the evening of the first day of Durga Puja. They were identified by scanning CCTV footage. We arrested Majumdar this morning and took him to our headquarters for questioning. If needed, we may interrogate them together," the officer said.
Raha was also the treasurer of the Durga Puja committee, police said. Both accused are residents of Amar Basu Sarani, around 50 metres from the pandal.
According to police, Raha had been absconding since the October 17 incident and had switched off his mobile phone. Investigators tracked eight suspected mobile numbers to trace him as he allegedly attempted to contact family members and friends using different numbers.
"We are still piecing together the course of events that led to the stampede. One of the CCTV footage showed the two persons making announcements. They were heard warning revellers that the pandal was collapsing and asking visitors to leave the place immediately. It appeared that the announcements triggered panic and a rush towards the exit point," the officer said.
Raha has been charged under non-bailable sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and was to be produced in court later on Friday, the officer added.
The government has formed a six-member special investigation team, in consultation with the Calcutta High Court, to probe the cause of the stampede and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents.
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