A judicial investigation into the Chorbagan Durga Puja stampede could be headed by a sitting Calcutta High Court judge, West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Sunday, as his government considered ending separate VIP queues at puja pandals and tightening crowd-control measures across Kolkata.
The announcement came a day after 19 people were killed and 25 injured when a crowd surge amid heavy rain triggered a stampede at the north Kolkata marquee on Saturday evening.
Adhikari said Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal would write to Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge seeking permission for a sitting judge to head the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
"If the Chief Justice permits, we will have a sitting judge head the SIT; else we will settle for a retired judge," the chief minister told reporters at the state police headquarters.
The SIT will include a home department official of at least joint secretary rank, representatives of the director general of police and the National Disaster Response Force, and state disaster management secretary Rajesh Sinha.
Personnel from Kolkata Police, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and the fire services department have been excluded from the investigation team to allow scrutiny of possible lapses by these agencies.
Government considers end to VIP queues at Durga Puja pandals
In a proposed overhaul of crowd management arrangements, Adhikari said the government could do away with separate VIP entry gates at Durga Puja pandals, particularly those attracting large numbers of visitors.
Popular and high-budget puja committees frequently provide special access to visitors holding VIP passes, which are sometimes sold at a premium and allow holders to bypass regular queues.
"The team started working, even as the meeting was underway. It will inspect the safety arrangements at all the puja pandals in the city and take decisions on the spot. If necessary, the number of visitors will be regulated. There will be no separate queues for VIPs," Adhikari said.
A special inspection team, formed late on Saturday following the tragedy, has been tasked with examining safety arrangements and identifying shortcomings at major puja pandals across the city.
The team includes senior officials from the disaster management department, Director General of Fire Services Anuj Sharma and Special Task Force Additional Director General Javed Shamim.
Police officers in charge of stations across the districts have also been directed to inspect pandals in their respective jurisdictions, formulate crowd management guidelines and ensure compliance by organisers.
Adhikari said the officers would be allowed to carry out their responsibilities without interference.
He also announced that he would personally monitor crowd movement from the traffic control room at Kolkata Police headquarters on Sunday evening.
"I would like to see things with my eyes and not my ears," he said.
Chief minister defends police despite eyewitness criticism
Adhikari defended the police response to Saturday's tragedy despite accounts from eyewitnesses who questioned the availability of personnel when the stampede occurred.
"All victims' families I have spoken to told me the opposite. They said police even hired cabs from online aggregators to send the injured to hospitals," he said.
The chief minister's remarks came amid questions about crowd management at the Chorbagan pandal, where heavy rainfall, narrow access lanes and overcrowding were cited by local residents as possible contributing factors.
Compensation announced, two injured remain in ICU
Adhikari said compensation of Rs 25 lakh would be provided to each bereaved family, while those injured in the stampede would receive Rs 5 lakh each.
He plans to visit families of the deceased on October 20 and 21 to offer condolences and hand over the compensation cheques.
"I will try to connect with as many families of our state as possible on those two days," he said.
Of the 19 people who died, one was from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, while the remaining victims were residents of West Bengal.
The chief minister said magistrates and deputy superintendent of police-ranked officers had been assigned to oversee the handover of bodies to families and remain with them until the cremations were completed.
"For the Bihar victim, I have spoken to the protocol officer concerned, and necessary arrangements are being made," he said.
Providing an update on those injured, Adhikari said 23 people had sustained minor injuries and were likely to be discharged from hospital soon.
Two others remained in intensive care, although doctors had informed him that their conditions were not life-threatening.
Puja committees to meet on October 26
The state government will hold a toned-down Bijoya Sammelani, a traditional post-puja cultural gathering, with Durga Puja committees from Kolkata and its suburbs on October 26.
The meeting will focus on reviewing this year's arrangements and discussing measures to prevent similar tragedies.
Compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh will also be handed over to the injured at the event, Adhikari said.
Appealing to visitors to exercise restraint and sensitivity while visiting puja pandals, the chief minister said, "I would urge people to seek the blessings of Maa Durga with compassion. They should observe the rituals prescribed by scriptures and almanacks."