Kolkata stampede- search continues for person who spread rumour:Police say no evidence of pandal collapse; 19 people died in stampede

Three days have passed since the stampede at Kolkata’s Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal. Police are still searching for the person who spread the rumour that the pandal was collapsing. A police officer said, “It is essential to find answers to the important questions of who made the announcement and why.” The announcement caused people present there to panic, triggering the stampede. According to police, no evidence has so far been found to indicate that any part of the pandal was at risk of collapsing. A total of 30 CCTV cameras were installed at the pandal परिसर, 13 of which cover the place where the incident occurred. Their footage is being examined. Nineteen people were killed and 25 injured in a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on Saturday evening. 17 October: Watch the stampede in two videos… 300-metre-long queue, only 2 security guards to control the crowd Even before the stampede at Kolkata’s Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal, the crowd-control arrangements were inadequate. According to a local journalist who was present there before the incident, the entry and exit route was narrow, and only two security guards had been deployed to manage the crowd in a queue that was around 300 metres long. There was no security personnel stationed in between. The journalist said that the security guards and police were directing people to different routes. There was also a heavy crowd and poor lighting inside the pandal, but no member of the puja committee, police or security team was present there. This time, VIP passes were also being sold through Flipkart. CM says stampede investigation report will be made public within one and a half months CM Suvendu Adhikari said that a sitting High Court judge would investigate the Kolkata stampede. The investigation report would be made public within one to one-and-a-half months of receiving the committee’s recommendations. He also accused the previous CPM and TMC governments of not making public the reports of commissions formed during their tenures. Responding to the Opposition’s allegations, he referred to the heavy rains in October 2025 and the disaster in Darjeeling to question the functioning of the previous governments.