Kolkata police have arrested seven people, including organisers of Chorbagan Durga Puja, for the pandal stampede that killed at least 19 people, a senior officer said on Sunday.
Police have also registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Law enforcers detained 14 people on Saturday night in connection with their probe into the incident.
"We have arrested seven people. They were among the 14 detained last night. More arrests may be made," the IPS officer told PTI.
"The process of identifying the bodies is underway," he added.
Mismanagement, confusing announcements led to stampede
Lack of crowd management and misleading announcements following a sudden downpour during Saptami celebrations may have triggered panic among visitors, leading to a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, a senior police officer said on Sunday.
Circumstantial evidence, along with accounts from locals and eyewitnesses, suggests that inadequate crowd control contributed to the incident at the pandal on Saturday evening, he said.
Police also found that the number of police personnel and private security guards deployed at the venue was inadequate, worsening the situation.
"We have gathered sufficient evidence pointing to gross mismanagement by the puja organisers. There was no clear plan to manage the large number of visitors, and everything was handled verbally. We have collected CCTV camera footage, recorded accounts from locals and eyewitnesses, and corroborated our findings. Security personnel were inadequate," the police officer told PTI.
"Due to the mismanagement, people tried to escape through the entrance gate during the stampede. Both the gates and the approach road were narrow, which contributed to the accident," he said, adding that announcements regarding entry, exit and crowd movement were inadequate, leaving visitors confused during the rush.
"We have video footage of an announcement asking people to leave the pandal on the grounds that the structure was about to collapse. We are trying to identify who made the announcement and what prompted it," the officer said.
Locals also claimed that police deployment at the pandal was inadequate, alleging that personnel were mainly stationed near the VIP entrance.
A team of forensic experts visited the pandal on Saturday night and collected evidence from the site, he said.
"Another team of forensic experts will visit the pandal today to collect further evidence. Officers from our Detective Department will also visit the venue as part of the investigation," he said.
Kolkata Police is also planning to question survivors as part of the probe, the IPS officer said.
"We need first-hand accounts to cross-check the findings based on statements from locals and other eyewitnesses. This will help our investigation," he added.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 on roads adjoining the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Sunday morning.
The order prohibits gatherings on roads surrounding the venue, which falls under the jurisdiction of Bowbazar Police Station. The restrictions will remain in force until October 20.
At least 19 people died, and 25 were injured in the stampede at Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata following a crowd surge amid rain on Saturday evening.
Shah visits hospital to meet those injured
Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday morning visited a hospital where 14 of those injured in the Kolkata Durga Puja pandal stampede were undergoing treatment, a senior official said.
Shah, who was accompanied by Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari, is expected to speak to the doctors and review the treatment of the injured, the state government official told PTI.
The Union home minister may also interact with patients, he added.