Kolkata, October 22: The deaths of 19 people in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata have prompted a judicial investigation whose findings are expected to shape crowd management and safety requirements at major community Puja venues from 2027. The six-member committee appointed by the West Bengal government will examine possible failures in crowd control, emergency access and evacuation arrangements at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal.
The stampede occurred on October 17, raising questions about the adequacy of safety arrangements at large religious gatherings.
According to a state government official, the inquiry will assess permissible visitor capacity, entry and exit routes, CCTV surveillance and emergency evacuation facilities. Authorities intend to use the findings to identify deficiencies and determine precautionary measures for future celebrations.
The committee will examine CCTV recordings, mobile phone videos and medical reports relating to those killed and injured. Investigators may also record eyewitness accounts to reconstruct the sequence of events and establish whether lapses contributed to the fatalities.
Retired Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati, who chairs the committee, said on Thursday that the state government had given the panel three months to submit its findings.
She acknowledged the difficulty of completing the investigation within that period but said the committee would make every effort to meet the deadline.
The inquiry will also seek to establish responsibility for the incident and examine the circumstances behind the high number of deaths.
Roy Saraswati indicated that the panel’s conclusions would help authorities frame instructions for community Durga Puja organisers to prevent similar tragedies.
The state government constituted the committee on Wednesday after an earlier attempt to appoint a serving Calcutta High Court judge to lead the investigation did not proceed.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had sought a serving judge to head the inquiry, following which the Chief Secretary’s office approached Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge.
On Tuesday, the Chief Justice informed the government that an earlier Supreme Court order prevented the appointment of a serving judge to lead such a commission. He advised the state to appoint a retired judge instead.
The judicial panel will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the stampede, identify potential failures and provide findings that the government plans to use when determining safety requirements for major Durga Puja pandals next year.
