‘Excessive Crowd, Management Issues, Continuous Rain,’ Say Kolkata Durga Puja Stampede Eyewitnesses; Probe Begins

Kolkata Police at the site after a stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal, in Kolkata.

Kolkata Police are investigating whether lapses in crowd management, confusion over entry and exit routes and heavy rain contributed to the stampede at Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal that left 19 people dead on Saturday evening, a senior officer said.

Several eyewitnesses alleged that announcements about entry, exit and crowd movement were improper, leaving visitors confused during the rush hours.

Locals near the Durga Puja pandal claimed that police deployment at the site was inadequate, alleging that personnel were mainly stationed near the VIP entrance.

"I have not seen adequate police presence this year. This resulted in the mismanagement," Sanghamitra Bhowmik, a resident of the Chorbagan area, said.

Gaps In Administrative Assistance, Say Locals

Locals also alleged that there was little administrative assistance in taking the injured to hospitals.

"There must be some lapses, but these should be probed. Whether lapses were on the part of the organisers or they had flouted the rules to erect the pandal will be checked," the police officer told PTI.

The police are examining the circumstances that led to the incident, crowd control measures, arrangements at the venue…

Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/delhi