Kolkata Durga Puja Stampede: 7 Arrested, Including Puja Committee Secretary and Vice-President

Seven people, including the secretary and vice-president of the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Puja Committee, have been arrested after a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata killed 19 people.

Kolkata Police said on Sunday that 14 people had been detained for questioning since Saturday night. Seven were arrested after interrogation as investigators examined the circumstances that led to the deadly crowd crush.

Puja Committee Officials, Crowd Controllers Among Arrested

The arrested committee officials have been identified as Raj Kumar Sewda, 48, the secretary, and Santanu Dubey, 55, the vice-president of the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Puja Committee.

Police also arrested three people involved in crowd management at the pandal: Biplab Mukherjee, 48, Pintu Dey, 51, and Koushik Saha, 53. Saha was also responsible for checking VIP passes at the entry gates.

The remaining two accused, Suman Chakraborty, 30, and Rajesh Pal, 29, were in charge of private security arrangements at the venue.

Police Register Culpable Homicide Case

Kolkata Police have registered a suo motu case and charged the accused with culpable homicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

Autopsies of the 19 victims began at the Kolkata Police Morgue on Sunday. Forensic science experts were also expected to visit the site to collect samples as part of the investigation.

Police have collected CCTV footage from the venue to establish how the crowd gathered and what led to the stampede. Further action will follow an examination of the footage and other evidence.

Chief Minister Orders Fact-Finding Probe

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said a fact-finding committee had been formed to investigate the tragedy. He also said he would visit the hospital to meet the injured.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who cancelled his scheduled Durga Puja engagements in Kolkata for the day, was also expected to visit the hospital, according to the Chief Minister.

Adhikari said the incident had raised questions about the management of large-scale theme-based Durga Puja celebrations, which often draw huge crowds.

“People's lives come first, not themes,” he said, adding that lessons from the tragedy would be used to improve arrangements for future events.