Kolkata pandal tragedy: Adhikari announces probe after 17 deaths

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Saturday, October 17, that a fact-finding committee would investigate a stampede-like incident at Kolkata’s Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal that left 17 people dead and 25 injured, India Today reported.

In a telephone interview, Adhikari placed the incident between 7.30 pm and 8 pm and said one or two injured people were in critical condition. He said the government was arranging medical care, with immediate attention on helping bereaved families, treating survivors and ensuring they could return home safely after recovery.

Questioning ordered, CCTV footage to be preserved

Adhikari said Kolkata Police had been instructed to detain and question puja committee members and people responsible for safety at the venue. Those covered by the directions included personnel involved in private security arrangements as well as police personnel. The questioning directive does not establish responsibility for the deaths.

He also called for CCTV recordings from the pandal to be preserved. According to Adhikari, a forensic team, Special Task Force personnel and the fire brigade had reached the site. He appealed to political parties and the media to remain away until forensic examinations were finished so that evidence would not be disturbed.

Appeal to strengthen entry and exit arrangements

Adhikari urged Durga Puja organisers across West Bengal to work with police to correct crowd-management shortcomings, particularly around entrances and exits. Emphasising that visitors’ lives mattered more than pandal themes, he called for safety to take precedence.

The proposed committee would examine how the incident unfolded, he said, with the government seeking an early determination of its cause. His announcement did not establish what triggered the fatal crowd incident.