The West Bengal government, in consultation with the Calcutta High Court, has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the October 17 stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata that claimed 19 lives and left several others injured.
The SIT has been tasked with examining the circumstances that led to the incident and recommending measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future, according to an official government notification.
The West Bengal government has announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a job for the family of each person who died in the incident.
Retired judge to head stampede investigation
Meanwhile, the Kolkata Fire Department has placed five Durga Puja pandals in south Kolkata under special scrutiny following the fatal stampede, officials said on Monday. Its members include the Principal Secretary of the state’s Disaster Management and Civil Defence Department and the Director General and Inspector General of Police of the Special Task Force (STF), West Bengal. The panel will also include a police representative not below the rank of Additional Director General, a representative of the Home and Hill Affairs Department not below the rank of Joint Secretary, and a representative of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) based in Kolkata. Written instructions have been issued to the Puja committees of Chetla, Tridhara, Deshapriya Park and Tollygunge Cultural, directing them to pay particular attention to entry and exit routes and implement additional fire safety measures.
