‘Pandal will collapse’: Warning that may have triggered Kolkata Durga Puja stampede that killed 19 | Today’s news
A warning that a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata might collapse may have sparked panic among visitors and contributed to a stampede that killed 19 people and injured 25 on Saturday night, police said on Sunday. Investigators are looking into a video that allegedly captured the announcement at the Chorbagan pandal.
“The condition of the pandal is very bad. It is going to collapse. Please leave.”
LiveMint was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the video.
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A notice posted said that the Chorbagan pandal was in a very bad condition and might collapse and urged visitors to leave. Police are investigating who made the announcement and whether it caused people to rush for the exit.
Investigators are looking into possible crowd failures, unclear announcements, narrow gates and driveways and a sudden influx of people seeking shelter from the torrential rain. The exact sequence of events remains under investigation.
Police have collected CCTV footage, recorded statements from residents and eyewitnesses and are examining forensic evidence. They are also trying to find out who issued the pandal warning and whether they made the visitors rush to the exit.
A major report said 19 people died and 25 were injured in a stampede at a Chorbagan pandal in north Kolkata. The incident took place during Saptami celebrations amidst heavy rain and large crowd.
The state government has announced ₹25 lakh and a Group D government job for the family of each deceased. She also announced that the injured people would receive medical support; the article separately mentions a central government payment of ₹2,000 for each next of kin of a deceased person and ₹50,000 for each injured person.
Kolkata police are investigating who reported it, why the warning was issued and whether it prompted visitors to rush to the exit. Preliminary findings also pointed to possible crowd failures, unclear announcements and a sudden influx of visitors seeking shelter from the downpour.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvenda Adhikari blamed the alleged callousness of the organizers and said the incident would be investigated. He also suggested that the puja committee’s announcement over the microphone might have triggered the rush.
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Kolkata rush: Why police are investigating pandals warning
The notice is a key piece of evidence as investigators try to determine the sequence of events that led to the deadly stampede during the Saptami celebrations.
Police are trying to identify the person who made the report and find out what led to the warning. They are also investigating whether visitors interpreted this as an imminent threat and rushed to the exit, contributing to the congestion.
A senior police officer said preliminary findings indicated serious deficiencies in crowd management measures.
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“We have collected enough evidence pointing to gross mismanagement by the puja organisers. There was no clear plan to handle the large number of visitors and everything was handled by word of mouth,” the officer said.
Police collected CCTV footage and recorded statements from local residents and eyewitnesses. Investigators are also assessing whether insufficient deployment of police officers and private security guards contributed to the tragedy.
The circumstances of the notification and the reaction it caused are the subject of an investigation. Police are expected to interview survivors to corroborate eyewitness accounts and reconstruct the events that led to the stampede.
A narrow entrance and heavy rain added to the challenges of managing the crowd
According to the police, the pandal’s gates and driveway were narrow, potentially restricting the movement of visitors once panic spreads. Investigators said the rush as people tried to leave through the entrance contributed to the stampede.
Inadequate announcements about crowd entry, exit and movement may have added to the confusion, police said. The sudden influx of people seeking shelter from the rain may have also worsened the traffic jams.
Investigators are looking into measures to control entry, direct visitors to exits and manage crowds before and during the incident.
A forensics team visited the site on Saturday night to collect evidence. Another team is expected to conduct further examinations during the course of the investigation.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand has imposed bans under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita on roads adjacent to the pandal till October 20.
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The state government has announced compensation ₹25 lakhs and a Group D government job to the family of each person killed in the stampede.
It has also constituted a panel to review the safety protocols at major Durga Puja pandals and recommend immediate remedial measures whenever deficiencies are found.
The review comes as investigators look into the organization of the crowd in Chorbagan and whether an announcement warning of a possible collapse played a role in triggering the panic.
Of the 25 people injured in the incident, 14 were being treated at a private hospital on Sunday, three of them in the intensive care unit, West Bengal Clinical Regulatory Commission chairman Biswajit Basu said.
One of the patients in the ICU was in critical condition, while the other two were showing signs of improvement, Basu said.
An investigation is ongoing and CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts and forensic evidence are expected to help establish how the stampede unfolded. Police are investigating whether a failure to control the crowd, a notice warning of a possible collapse or a combination of factors contributed to the tragedy.
