Bengal, chief minister, Suvendu Adhikari on Friday, October 23, said the Chorebagan stampede that claimed 19 lives was primarily due to human error.
His remarks came after visiting the residences of two victims, Shubham Sonkar at Bagmari in Manicktala and Mithu Mondal in Shyampukur, to meet their bereaved families and assure them of assistance.
"The stampede was primarily due to human error. The rest will be probed by the retired judge who has been given the responsibility of the investigation. The police will assist her, and witnesses will give their testimonies. The report will be submitted within three months," the chief minister said.
He said the state government would implement the recommendations of the inquiry and make the findings public.
"The state will implement whatever recommendations are made. The government will immediately place the report before the Assembly, provide it to reporters and make it available in the public domain," Adhikari said.
Expressing solidarity with the bereaved families, he said, "It is my responsibility to stand beside the families. I have assured them of all possible assistance. I would also like to thank the private agencies and political organisations that have stood by the families."
He said he had also spoken to the victims' neighbours and urged them to extend support to the families during the difficult period.
"I also spoke to the neighbours and urged them to stand beside the families, both mentally and physically, so that they do not feel left out during this time," he said.
Highlighting the scale of Durga Puja celebrations across the state, Adhikari said around 66,000 pujas were organised, of which 58,000 received grants from the state government.
More than 90 per cent of the idols had already been immersed, he said.
"There has been no incident, but the loss of 19 lives within 1.5 to two minutes is really painful and pathetic," he said.
The chief minister also announced that he would meet representatives of around 8,000 puja committees on October 26 to discuss safety measures for next year's celebrations and prevent a recurrence of incidents such as the Chorbagan stampede.
"They organised the pujas successfully, and I will congratulate them for that. But I will also ask them to learn a lesson from the Chorbagan incident," Adhikari said.
He said the committees would be asked to follow the recommendations of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and plan their Durga Puja arrangements for 2027 well in advance.
At least 19 people died, and 25 others were injured in a stampede at the Chorebagan pandal in north Kolkata following a crowd surge amid rain on October 17, the day of Maha Saptami.
Adhikari, who went to Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, where the victims were taken, announced that his government will provide Rs 25 lakh and a Group D govt job for the family of each deceased.
On October 21, the state government constituted a six-member SIT headed by retired Calcutta High Court Judge, Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati (retired), to probe the stampede and make appropriate recommendations.