Kolkata/Alive News: The West Bengal government has constituted a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by retired Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati, to investigate the stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata that claimed 19 lives.
The move follows a Calcutta High Court direction to set up an inquiry commission headed by a retired judge. The state government issued a notification announcing the SIT’s formation, with instructions to complete the investigation and submit its final report within three months.
The team includes the secretary of the Disaster Management and Civil Defence Department, the director general and inspector general of the Special Task Force, and representatives of the National Disaster Response Force, the Home Department and the state police chief.
The SIT will examine the sequence of events, the time and location of the stampede, the pandal’s permitted capacity and whether the number of visitors exceeded the limit. It will also scrutinise Kolkata Police’s role, crowd management arrangements and safety measures to determine whether any lapses contributed to the tragedy.
Investigators will also verify reports linking the incident to rain and rumours of the pandal collapsing.
Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari has said those responsible will not be spared. The state has also formed a separate fact-finding team to examine the incident.
