Durga Puja Stampede Probe: Video Shows Warnings Were Overlooked

Investigators probing the deadly stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata have found a crucial 15-minute CCTV clip. The stampede on October 17 killed 19 people, and the footage now sheds light on the crowd dynamics that preceded the disaster.

The clip, recorded between 7:15 pm and 7:30 pm, shows devotees inside and outside the pandal ignoring police appeals to avoid increasing the crowd size.

According to sources in the city police, some officers inside the pandal were urging devotees to exit. Officers stationed outside were asking people not to go in until those already inside had come out.

A police official explained that personnel both inside and outside were repeatedly requesting devotees to prevent the pandal from becoming more crowded. However, because of the rain, people inside did not come out, and those outside did not stop attempting to enter. Just before the stampede, the packed crowd inside created dangerous, suffocating conditions.

The police efforts to control the crowd are visible in the footage, and some eyewitnesses questioned by investigators have confirmed them.

Another finding relates to the security arrangements. The private guards posted by the puja committee were not drawn from a professional security firm. The organisers had hired some local unemployed youths who did not receive basic training in managing crowds.

Members of the SIT are questioning the organisers of the puja committee to gather detailed information about the event.

In addition to the SIT, a six-member judicial inquiry panel appointed by the state government is also examining the tragedy. Its chairperson, Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati (retired), said on Monday that the panel will start collecting evidence from October 31. The panel must finish its work and submit a report to the state government within six months of its formation.