The second day of Durga Puja was overshadowed by the previous night's stampede in Kolkata that killed 19 people, including a seven-year-old child. As bereaved families collected bodies from morgues, the state government announced sweeping safety measures, with a high-level committee inspecting compliance at major puja pandals.
Police arrested seven people, including office-bearers of the Chorbagan Durga Puja committee, in connection with the stampede. Union Home Minister Amit Shah cancelled his scheduled puja engagements and visited 14 injured people undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
The tragedy triggered a political blame game between the ruling BJP and the Mamata Banerjee faction of the Trinamool Congress, with both sides trading accusations over accountability for one of the deadliest incidents to mar the city's festivities.
The seven arrested, including the puja committee's general secretary and vice-president, were produced in court. Police have registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Amid concerns over crowd management, police deployment and alleged negligence by the Chorbagan puja organisers, investigators were examining the arrangements at the venue, the role of the organisers and possible lapses by personnel deployed there, officials said.
The state government decided to deploy nine IPS officers experienced in managing Durga Puja crowds to handle the festive rush in Kolkata.
Chief Minister Adhikari attended a high-level meeting at the CID headquarters and later indicated that the practice of providing VIP gates at Durga Puja pandals could be scrapped. He also ordered a review of safety arrangements at major pujas.
Adhikari said temporary home guards deployed at the Chorbagan pandal would be investigated for alleged dereliction of duty during the stampede, which left 25 people injured.
"This was their third year on such duty following their earlier engagements in 2024 and 2025," he said. "We (government) are carrying on our shoulders a massive pile of rubbish. A clean-up will take time."
The chief minister said the special team constituted after the stampede would inspect safety arrangements at all puja pandals in the city and take decisions on the spot.
"If necessary, the number of visitors will be regulated. There will be no separate queues for VIPs," he said.
The team is led by state Disaster Management Department Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Fire Services Director General Anuj Sharma and Special Task Force Additional Director General Javed Shamim.
On Sunday, the team began its inspections at the Santosh Mitra Square community puja before visiting other major pandals, including Tala Prattoy. Sharma said puja organisers were cooperating with the authorities.
"Everyone wants Durga Puja to be held properly," he said.
The panel decided that food stalls would not be allowed near entry and exit gates and that separate VIP entrances would be done away with. Officials also stressed the need for wider exits, adequate lighting and the removal of bottlenecks caused by temporary enclosures.
Adhikari said the stampede occurred at a common entry and exit gate, rather than inside the puja pandal. He alleged that guards had used a rope to divide the passage and rushed to take shelter when it began raining.
"The pandal was dimly lit. If the incident occurred inside the pandal, the death toll would have been much higher," he said.
Besides the home guards, the organisers and authorities who granted permission for the puja would also be investigated, Adhikari said. He added that Kolkata Police, the civic body and the state Fire Services Department had been kept out of the special investigation team to ensure an impartial probe.
"We would seek the Calcutta High Court chief justice's permission to get a sitting judge to head the probe. The team would include officials of the home department, the police chief, the NDRF and the state disaster management department," he said.
While the government tightened safety arrangements at puja venues, bereaved families waited outside Calcutta National Medical College and NRS Medical College to collect the bodies of their loved ones. Some were speechless with grief, while others broke down in tears.
"I have nothing left. There will never be a Durga Puja in our lives again," wailed Vinod Haldar, a rickshaw puller from New Town in eastern Kolkata, who lost his 17-year-old daughter in Saturday's stampede.
Post-mortems were conducted at the two state-run hospitals before the bodies were handed over to the families.
Adhikari said 23 people had suffered minor injuries and were likely to be discharged soon, while two remained in intensive care. He said he would visit the bereaved families on October 20 and 21 and hand over the announced compensation.
Magistrates and officers of Deputy Superintendent of Police rank had also been tasked with supervising the handover of bodies and remaining with the families until the cremations were completed, he said.
Meanwhile, the Mamata Banerjee faction of the Trinamool Congress accused the police and administration of failing to ensure adequate crowd control and emergency arrangements.
The opposition alleged that Debdeep Adhikari, named as the chief patron of the Chorbagan Durga Puja committee in publicity materials, was the chief minister's nephew.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee demanded accountability, asking, "When will you put the culprit nephew in jail, Suvendu Babu?"
Party MLA Kunal Ghosh alleged that the previous puja committee had been forced to resign after the change of government. He also questioned the decision to shift injured victims from the state-run Calcutta Medical College and Hospital to a private facility after treatment had begun.
Asked about Debdeep Adhikari's alleged involvement in the affairs of the Chorbagan puja, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said he had no knowledge of the matter.
The chief minister condemned attempts to turn the incident into a political controversy, saying the administration was focused on relief and assistance for victims and their families.
He also announced that a toned-down Bijoya Sammilani would be held on October 26, when puja committees would discuss lessons from the tragedy.
(With inputs from PTI)
