The six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the October 17 Kolkata stampede that killed 19 people has zeroed in on the narrow exit point and the dimly lit pathway at the Chor Bagan Durga Puja pandal, even as the eighth accused arrested in the case was due to be produced before a court on Friday, a day after his arrest.
She added that the pandal was kept in the same condition as it was during the incident. “We have to find out how the whole thing happened and who was responsible. A drone was deployed for aerial videos of the pandal and the roads around it. “The exit path used by common visitors was around seven feet wide, which was extremely narrow. The exit route was further narrowed by outdoor units of the air conditioner machines installed inside the pandals and food stalls set up on a road.
A police officer, who inspected the site, said that the families of those killed and the 25 injured people alleged that the emergency gate, which was otherwise used for VIP movement, was locked. All the accused arrested in the case have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)’s Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 110 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) and 3(5) (crime committed with common intention). The seven accused, including Raj Kumar Sewda, the puja committee secretary, and Santanu Dubey, the vice-president, were remanded in 10-day police custody.
Because someone announced that the pandal, of which the ramp was an integral part, was collapsing, “It seems people panicked and ran for safety.
The officer said the ramp was intact during the police inspection. A police forensic team visited the stampede site on Thursday to create a 3D map. Sanjib Raha, a puja committee member, was arrested from Nadia on Thursday and brought to Kolkata.
