KOLKATA: Residents described panic and inadequate crowd control. “People panicked when organisers started announcing that the pandal might cave in. That caused the stampede,” said Ramji Sau, a resident. Beauty Naskar alleged there was hardly any police or volunteers controlling the crowd, with some young volunteers busy on their phones.Adhikari said temporary home guards managing ropes separating entry and exit routes abandoned their posts when rain began. He directed police across Bengal to inspect major pandals, restrict entry where necessary and enforce safety measures.A total of nine IPS officers with previous Kolkata police experience have been assigned puja duty in the city. Police have been instructed to keep exits clear, improve lighting, maintain crowd movement and carry ropes, guardrails and loudspeakers.The tragedy brought Trinamool, CPM and Congress together at Girish Park police station, where they demanded accountability and questioned why senior organisers and officials responsible for lapses had not been arrested. The opposition threatened larger protests after the festival.West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar and Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh called the arrests an “eyewash”, while CPM demanded that those who had prioritised control of the puja committee over visitor safety be brought to justice.BJP Bengal president Samik Bhattacharya appealed against political recriminations, saying the priority should be supporting bereaved families and bringing those responsible to justice. The Ritabrata Banerjee faction of Trinamool echoed the appeal, saying: “Puja isn’t the time for politics.”Adhikari defended his govt’s response and accused previous administrations of withholding inquiry commission reports. Referring to past disasters, he asked: “Have you ever seen a chief minister spending the entire night at a hospital?” he added.Across Kolkata, puja committees scrambled to improve safety, increase lighting, deploy volunteers and fire tenders, clear exits and limit number of visitors inside pandals. Santosh Mitra Square adopted staggered entry and increased volunteers. Thakurpukur SB Park cut its permitted crowd from 200-250 to about 100 at a time.On Sunday, queues continued at popular pandals, including Md Ali Park and College Square. Some said they reconsidered plans after family members urged them to avoid crowded venues.
