18 October,2026 07:50 PM IST | Kolkata | mid-day online correspondent
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Pic/ X
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday ordered an examination of the role of temporary home guards deployed at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata, where a stampede on Saturday evening killed 19 people and injured 25.
Taking a dig at the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, Adhikari also claimed that his administration had inherited a "baggage of rubbish" from the erstwhile regime, adding that cleaning up the system would take time, PTI reported.
The stampede occurred at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata amid a surge in crowds during rain on Saturday evening.
Adhikari said he had sought the list of temporary home guards deployed at the pandal to examine their role in the incident. He said the personnel were not new recruits and had been deployed for the third consecutive year, having served in 2024 and 2025 as well.
The chief minister also said that one of the home guards he tried to speak to during his visit to the site on Sunday morning "could not even understand, let alone speak, Bengali".
"We are carrying on our shoulders a massive pile of rubbish as baggage. A clean-up will take time," Adhikari said, PTI reported.
Adhikari said his assessment of the incident changed after visiting the site, compared with the initial briefing he had received.
He said the stampede occurred at the common entry and exit gate, rather than inside the dimly lit puja pandal. He added that the consequences could have been even more severe had the incident occurred inside the pandal.
According to the chief minister, the venue had a single opening serving as both the entry and exit, with home guards using a hand-held rope to separate the two flows of people.
Adhikari alleged that when it began to rain, the home guards dropped the ropes and took shelter to avoid getting drenched. He suggested that the lack of separate entry and exit arrangements contributed to the crowd surge spiralling out of control.
Adhikari said the role of the puja organisers and the authorities responsible for issuing permissions would also be investigated.
"The organisers will also have to shoulder responsibility," he said, adding that the theme and arrangements at the venue also needed scrutiny, PTI reported.
The chief minister said the Kolkata Police and the fire services department, which issued the required licences, were also under the scanner for allegedly failing to ensure that the issues were addressed beforehand.
Adhikari said personnel from the Kolkata Police, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and fire services department had been excluded from the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
He said the SIT would be headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court, subject to approval from the Chief Justice.
The Kolkata Police have arrested seven people, including members of the Chorbagan Durga Puja organising committee, in connection with the stampede.
Those arrested include the committee's secretary and vice-president, as well as two employees of a private security agency, among others.
(With PTI inputs)
