KOLKATA: The Chorbagan stampede probe has exposed serious gaps in crowd management at the north Kolkata Durga Puja pandal, including the absence of a structured emergency evacuation plan, poorly regulated entry and exit routes and inadequate coordination between police, private security personnel and volunteers. Investigators believe these lapses turned Saturday night’s heavy rain and a sudden surge of visitors into a disaster that killed 19 people and injured around 25.Seven people, including two office-bearers of the Chorbagan Durga Puja committee, have been arrested in a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and remanded in 10 days’ police custody. The investigation has found that crowd movement at the venue was managed largely through verbal instructions rather than a documented, coordinated plan, leaving little room for an organised response when the situation deteriorated.“There was no properly routed queue systems, designated holding areas or adequately planned emergency bypasses to allow visitors to leave safely during a sudden surge. The narrow Radha Madhab Saha Lane emerged as a critical bottleneck, with visitors who had entered the queue finding little scope to leave midway,” said a senior officer of Kolkata police.The situation worsened when heavy rain drove people waiting outside towards the pandal in search of shelter, while many already inside reportedly resisted leaving to avoid getting drenched. The incoming and outgoing streams collided, rapidly building pressure near the exit. Investigators said a coordinated response could have involved halting fresh entry, opening alternative evacuation routes and dispersing visitors in controlled phases.The role of an announcement over the public address system is also under scrutiny. An investigator said an unverified warning that the pandal structure was about to collapse allegedly triggered a panic-driven rush towards the exit.“Public address messages are meant to keep crowds calm. At Chorbagan, fearing the massive build-up of crowd inside the pandal would lead to an unmanageable situation, someone frantically blared that the pandal structure was about to collapse and urged people to evacuate immediately. This unverified, panic-inducing verbal instruction caused an immediate, blind rush towards the exit gates, causing people to stumble down a flight of stairs and be trampled,” the investigator said.Investigators have also flagged the deployment of security personnel, alleging that police presence was concentrated around VIP entrances rather than general access points where crowd pressure was highest. Private security guards allegedly resorted to blowing whistles and shouting conflicting instructions, adding to the confusion.Hirak Dalapati, an inspector in the detective department, has been appointed officer-in-charge of Girish Park police station to investigate the case alongside the special investigation team. Those arrested include puja committee secretary Raj Kumar Sewda, vice-president Santanu Dubey, structure builder Biplab Mukherjee, and personnel associated with crowd control, VIP passes and private security.The incident has also raised questions over the experience of those handling crowd management this year. Organisers said the team managing Chorbagan Puja had changed, with the new members lacking experience of handling large crowds in the narrow lane. Several police personnel familiar with previous years’ arrangements had also been transferred to different districts before the festival. Organisers expect crowd management to improve after nine senior IPS officers with previous experience of Puja crowd control returned to the city.Following the tragedy, a high-level inspection team led by special task force director-general Jawed Shamim and fire and emergency services director-general Anuj Sharma began visiting major pandals to identify lapses in crowd safety, fire preparedness, lighting, ventilation and traffic movement. Police have issued fresh advisories, while traffic arrangements around prominent venues are being reviewed to keep access routes clear for emergency vehicles.The fire and emergency services department has issued showcause notices to Ballygunge Cultural Association and Chetla Agrani Club after inspections flagged safety deficiencies. The notices, dated October 18, cited inadequate lighting, temporary commercial stalls near entry and exit points, blocked access and LPG cylinders close to inflammable Puja structures.Ballygunge Cultural Association has been directed to improve illumination and stop commercial activity near entry and exit gates. Chetla Agrani has been asked to install adequate lighting, fans and air-conditioning, remove unauthorised temporary structures, particularly shops using LPG cylinders, and submit a compliance report to the local fire station.Puja committees have also begun revising arrangements. At a meeting organised by the Forum for Durgotsab at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Sunday, representatives of around 100 committees agreed to station a volunteer or designated club member at every pandal entrance, keep walkie-talkies and make regular announcements discouraging selfies and video recording inside pandals. The forum will provide 10 raincoats to each club and has arranged ambulances across zones. Committees have also been asked to fill road excavations, deploy volunteers more actively and cooperate with the administration.At Santosh Mitra Square, chief patron Sajal Ghosh said the committee had initially considered keeping the pandal shut on Sunday but feared closure could cause greater congestion outside.“We actually wanted to close it. We wanted to keep it shut today. But given the current situation, we realised closing the pandal would create more chaos. So we have opted for staggered entry and increased the number of volunteers and fire tenders on the premises,” Ghosh said.Tala Prottoy, which had shut its gates on Saturday, reopened on Sunday after increasing illumination inside and outside the pandal, deploying more volunteers and expanding the holding area and space for visitors to move around. At Purvachal Udayan Sangha, a shop near the exit was shut to clear the passage. Sinthi Agragami Sangha arranged for visitors to view the idol from outside, while Purvachal Amra Sabai Club discontinued VIP entry and converted its VIP gate into an exit for the general public.Purba Putiari Pragati Sangha increased its security personnel from six to 10 and created an additional emergency exit. Allen Park in Park Street cancelled its major cultural performances, retaining only religious programmes. Puja secretary Navin Mishra said singer Shankar Mahadevan’s scheduled Navami performance and actor Govinda’s appearance on Monday had been cancelled.
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