Kolkata: Cops on Tuesday questioned Durga Puja theme artist Susanta Shibani Paul at Lalbazar in connection with the stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojonin pandal that left 19 people dead on Oct 17.
Lighting inside the pandal has come under scanner after the stampede
Police interrogation focused primarily on the pandal’s structural planning, entry and exit widths, emergency evacuation measures, and most importantly, whether the dim lighting inside the marquee was an intentional part of the overall artistic theme. Investigators noted that while Paul’s statement has been recorded, he may be summoned again for further clarifications.“Since the stampede at the Chorbagan pandal, we are trying to piece together all possible angles. As part of the probe, we want to ascertain if the pandal had a structural certificate. Similarly, we want to know about prior planning on movement of visitors inside the plan and if a prior evacuation plan, in case of an emergency, were in place. All these issues are now part of the probe,” a senior police source stated on Tuesday. Armed with Paul’s testimony, cops are currently examining whether municipal and police permissions were granted without a mandatory structural stability certificate.Sources said that so far, footage of only one of the three CCTV cameras has been retrieved from the entrance. Prima facie, cops are focusing on three crucial minutes in which the entire stampede was triggered.While Paul could not be reached for comment on Tuesday through phone calls or messages, he had previously defended the structural setup and crowd management efforts. “This was the kind of accident for which no single person can be blamed. Rain, excitement, and a crowd that surged in – far beyond capacity – all played a part. The administration tried, the committee too increased volunteers and made efforts, and we, as technicians, did everything that was needed. But in all my years associated with Durga Puja, I have never seen anything like this,” Paul had stated.Regarding the weight-bearing capacity of the pandal, Paul asserted that the physical setup was structurally sound and designed to safely hold up to 800 visitors simultaneously. “Since people would be walking over the emergency gate towards the idol, it was reinforced with iron. Structurally, there was nothing wrong; otherwise, the consequences could have been far worse,” said Paul.Paul had also rejected allegations that poor lighting inside the pandal contributed to the fatal chaos, clarifying that high-intensity illumination had been turned on hours prior to the tragedy. “According to the original plan, from the 12th to the 14 of Oct, the lighting was kept as per our original plan. But when the administration saw the surging crowd, they asked the committee to keep all the lights on round the clock. We used metal lighting along the walking areas. The incident happened on the 17th. From the afternoon of the 16th, all the lights were switched on,” Paul had said.Cops are currently focusing on a crucial 15-minute window of CCTV footage recorded between 7:15 pm and 7:30 pm on Oct 17, which they believe holds the key to establishing the exact sequence of events.
