Kolkata stampede: Puja treasurer held over collapse warning

Police have arrested Chorbagan Durga Puja treasurer Sanjib Raha, also known as Sentu, over an allegedly misleading warning that part of the pandal was collapsing during the October 17 stampede in north Kolkata. The Economic Times reported on October 23, citing police, that investigators suspect the announcement intensified panic in a crowd surge amid rain that left at least 19 people dead and 25 injured.

A senior officer said Raha was detained at a hideout in Nadia district on Thursday, October 22, and arrested after several hours of questioning. Police alleged that he had been evading them since the incident and identified him as one of two people making announcements at the pandal.

According to the officer, CCTV footage helped identify the two announcers, and a video recorded warnings that the pandal was collapsing and instructions to leave immediately. Police said these announcements appeared to prompt another rush towards the exit. A special investigation team is also examining possible crowd-management failures and other negligence. The alleged link between the warnings and the stampede remains under investigation; the report did not include a response from Raha.