Those arrested include senior organisers of the puja and supervisors of private security arrangements. The West Bengal government has ordered a special investigation into the incident. Kolkata Police have arrested seven people after a stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal killed 19 visitors and injured 25 others on Saturday.
Police said the action was taken as investigators examine whether poor crowd management, narrow exits and an announcement that the pandal structure might collapse contributed to the disaster.
Police examine warning about possible pandal collapse
Police said the seven arrested on Sunday were among them and that further arrests were possible. Heavy rain drove people waiting outside towards the shelter of the pandal, while visitors already inside struggled to leave. Some fell in the crowd and were trampled. Investigators are also reviewing a video of a microphone announcement warning that the pandal might collapse. Police have not established who made it or whether the warning directly caused the stampede. Officers have collected CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts, while forensic personnel have examined the site.
The seven arrested include Puja Committee secretary Raj Kumar Sewda, alias Raja, 48, and vice-president Santanu Dubey, 55. Police also arrested Biplab Mukherjee, alias Joy, 48, who worked on the pandal’s bamboo structure. Koushik Saha, 53, who handled crowd management and checked VIP passes, and Pintu Dey, 51, who was also assigned crowd-control duties, were arrested. Suman Chakraborty, 30, and Rajesh Pal, 29, both private security in-charges, complete the list. Officers initially detained 14 people for questioning. The incident occurred at about 7.40 pm on saturday, during Saptami celebrations.
Police said the narrow entrance, exit and approach road worsened congestion as people pushed in different directions.
