The West Bengal government on Sunday decided to deploy nine IPS officers experienced in Durga Puja crowd management to handle the festive rush in Kolkata, a day after a pandal stampede killed 19 people, an official said.
Amid concerns over crowd management, police deployment and allegations of negligence against puja organisers following the tragedy, Kolkata Police issued an 11-point advisory for its personnel to prevent untoward incidents at major Durga Puja pandals.
Amid concerns over crowd management, police deployment and allegations of negligence against puja organisers following the tragedy, Kolkata Police issued an 11-point advisory for its personnel to prevent untoward incidents at major Durga Puja pandals. READ | 10-Day Police Custody For 7 Accused In Kolkata Durga Puja Pandal Stampede “These officers have experience in handling huge crowds during Durga Puja in Kolkata. About the Kolkata Police’s 11-point advisory, another officer said entry points to pandals must be closed when it rains, and people inside must be brought out safely.
A top official said that to spruce up crowd management, nine IPS officers — Sumanjit Ray, IG (Border), Mehmud Akhtar, IG (IB), Miraj Khalid, IG (Traffic), Rupesh Kumar, DIG (STF), Shubhankar Bhattacharya, DIG (Traffic), Tarun Haldar, DIG (CID), Soumya Ray, SS (EB), Priyabrata Ray, SP (Traffic) and Deepak Sarkar, SS (CID) — have been assigned crowd-management duties during the festival. They have been brought back to help ensure proper crowd management and prevent a repeat of the Chorbagan incident,” a senior official said.
