Kolkata Police chief under scrutiny after Chorbagan stampede kills 19

• West Bengal recalls nine IPS officers to Kolkata after a stampede at Chorbagan Puja pandal kills 19.

• Police officers allege lapses in crowd management, deployment and response to warnings.

• Officers call for scrutiny of control-room records, wireless communications and duty registers.

The West Bengal government has recalled nine IPS officers from district postings to Kolkata following a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal that killed 19 people, amid allegations from sections of the police force that inadequate crowd management and ignored warnings contributed to the tragedy.

The officers, who had previously served in Kolkata, are said to have experience in managing crowds during Durga Puja, when millions of people visit pandals across the city. Their recall comes as the state government faces criticism over arrangements for the festival.

According to police officers cited in the account, Kolkata Police commissioner Ajay Nand had been warned about the possibility of stampedes at several pandals but failed to take adequate preventive measures. The allegations have not been independently established.

The officers alleged that too few police personnel were deployed on the streets, while a substantial force remained at the city police headquarters at Lalbazar. They also pointed to alleged failures in coordination, planning, supervision and crowd management.

One officer claimed that Lalbazar had been alerted as early as 13 October to shortcomings in the design of the entry and exit points at Chorbagan. Despite these warnings, the pandal allegedly received police clearance without corrective measures being taken.

The officer said the exit was narrower because a lane had been reserved for VIP movement, creating a bottleneck. According to the officer, the exit capacity was insufficient to manage the flow of people safely in an emergency.

The officer cited an earlier crowd-control incident at Nebutala Park during former commissioner Vineet Goyal’s tenure, saying police had responded to reports of excessive crowds by arranging drone surveillance and restricting entry.

The officer also praised former commissioners Goyal and Supratim Sarkar for their attention to crowd-management arrangements.

The officers further alleged that the police control room had received hourly reports of swelling crowds at Chorbagan and other pandals, but reinforcements were not sent and no steps were taken to regulate the flow of visitors.

They also questioned the deployment of personnel, claiming that fewer assistant commissioners, inspectors and constables were assigned to Chorbagan while larger forces and senior officers were stationed at locations with comparatively fewer crowd-related risks.

The officers said an investigation should establish who received warnings, when senior officials were informed and what action followed. They called for police control-room recordings, wireless communications and duty registers to be examined to establish what authorities knew before the stampede.

Questions were also raised about the timing of the annual Durga Puja security briefing. Traditionally held on Tritiya, the third day of the festival, the meeting was reportedly postponed from 1 pm to 11.30 pm this year and shortened because the commissioner was unavailable, according to the officers. Some personnel allegedly learnt of the change only after reaching the venue or while travelling there.

The officers also claimed that Nand had not visited the Chorbagan pandal after Tritiya, despite warnings and concerns about a possible mishap.

The account further alleged that the prominence of the pandal’s political patrons may have influenced police oversight. Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had inaugurated the pandal, while his nephew Devdeep Adhikari was named a patron and chairman.

The allegations against the police commissioner and the account of the events preceding the stampede require independent verification. The report does not include a response from Nand or the state government to the specific allegations.