KOLKATA, October 22 (Aalimi Nation) – The West Bengal government has constituted a six-member special investigation team headed by a retired High Court judge to inquire into the Chorbagan Durga Puja stampede, which killed 19 people in Kolkata on October 17. The order, issued by the Chief Secretary's office on Wednesday, takes immediate effect.
The team is chaired by retired Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati and has been told to submit its findings and recommendations to the state government within three months.
Who is on the Chorbagan stampede inquiry panel
Besides the chairperson, the panel includes senior officials of the Disaster Management and Civil Defence Department, the Special Task Force, the state police and the Home and Hill Affairs Department, along with a representative of the National Disaster Response Force.
According to the government order, the team is to carry out a "comprehensive, impartial and thorough inquiry". It must establish the sequence of events and the causes and contributing factors, including overcrowding, weather, gate management, rumours and any electrical failure. It will also assess whether the gathering exceeded the safe capacity of the venue.
What the panel has been asked to examine
The order directs the team to review the permissions granted, crowd-management and disaster plans, and police arrangements. It is also to suggest rules for large Durga Puja gatherings in congested areas and assess compensation for victims. It must examine how organisers, police, civic bodies, hospitals and other agencies prepared for and responded to the emergency, fix responsibility for any lapses and recommend action under law.
The High Court's direction
The appointment followed a ruling by the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday. The state had earlier sought to have a sitting High Court judge lead the inquiry, and the Chief Secretary wrote to the Chief Justice on Monday making that request. Chief Justice Rabindranath V Ghuge said that, under earlier Supreme Court directives, a sitting judge could not be appointed to such a panel.
"The state is free to appoint a retired judge of its preference to lead the inquiry," the Chief Justice said, according to the court proceedings.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had announced a high-powered judicial inquiry that would include no representation from the Kolkata Police, the Fire Department or the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, so as to ensure impartiality. He said action would follow the committee's recommendations and that negligence by organisers or police would not be spared.
Government statements said the families of the dead would receive Rs 25 lakh each, along with a Group-D government job for one member of each family. Each injured person is to receive Rs 5 lakh and full medical expenses.
Background and what happens next
The stampede occurred near the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in central Kolkata during the festival. The number of people injured has not been given in the official order. Ruling and opposition parties in the state have traded accusations over safety lapses, but the inquiry's terms of reference are limited to establishing facts, responsibility and future safeguards.
With a three-month deadline, the report is due around January 21, 2027. The findings will go to the state government, which has said it will act on the recommendations.
