2 Chor Bagan club members arrested over announcement that led to Kolkata stampede

A six-member investigation team is probing the fatal October 17 stampede at a Kolkata Durga Puja pandal, which occurred at a narrow, dimly lit exit.

The Kolkata Police has arrested two members of the Chor Bagan Sarbojanin club who allegedly made an announcement triggering a stampede at the Durga Puja pandal that killed 19 people, a senior police officer familiar with the developments said on Friday.

According to the officer, one of the members, Sanjib Raha, was arrested from the Nadia district in West Bengal on Thursday and another member, Kushal Majumdar, was arrested after he went to the Girish Park police station to surrender on Friday. So far, nine people have been arrested in the case.

Another police officer, who inspected the site, said people ran for safety after they panicked over an announcement, allegedly made by Raha and Majumdar, that a portion of the pandal was collapsing. “It seems people panicked and ran for safety because of the announcement that the pandal, of which the ramp was an integral part, was collapsing,” the officer said.

Also Read | Kolkata Durga Puja stampede: SIT zeroes in on narrow exit point, dimly lit pathway

Meanwhile, the six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the October 17 stampede has zeroed in on the narrow exit point and the dimly lit pathway at the pandal.

Retired Calcutta high court judge Anindita Roy Saraswati, heading the SIT, said the stampede did not happen inside the pandal but at the exit point. “We found the lights to be dim, as people had complained,” she said outside the pandal on Thursday. She added that the pandal was kept in the same condition as it was during the incident. “We have to find out how the whole thing happened and who was responsible.”

One of the officers cited above said that the families of those killed and the 25 injured people alleged that the emergency gate, which was otherwise used for VIP movement, was locked. “The exit path used by common visitors was around seven feet wide, which was extremely narrow. The exit route was further narrowed by outdoor units of the air conditioner machines installed inside the pandals and food stalls set up on a road.”

Also Read | Traumatic asphyxia, punctured lungs among causes of death in Kolkata stampede that killed 19

Before his arrest, Majumdar also said that he has been absconding on the advice of some senior club members who asked him not to be around till October 27.

Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said the stampede at Chor Bagan was a result of human error, and the state government will place the SIT’s report in the legislative assembly. “We expect that the SIT will submit the report within three months. The state government will implement its recommendations. The report will be made public and also placed in the legislative assembly,” Adhikari said.

Joydeep Thakur is a Special Correspondent based in Kolkata. He focuses on science, environment, wildlife, agriculture and other related issues.