The West Bengal government has constituted a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on October 17, 2026.
The team is headed by retired Calcutta High Court judge Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati. Its other members include the Principal Secretary of the Disaster Management and Civil Defence Department, the Director General and Inspector General of Police of the Special Task Force, West Bengal, a representative of the state police chief not below the rank of Additional Director General, a representative of the Home and Hill Affairs Department not below the rank of Joint Secretary, and a representative of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Kolkata.
Editorial Insight
Key Highlights
Important points readers should notice.
West Bengal has constituted a six-member SIT to investigate the Chorbagan stampede.
Retired Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati is heading the team.
The inquiry will examine crowd management, safety arrangements and possible lapses.
The SIT must submit its findings and recommendations within three months.
The incident on October 17 left 19 people dead and 25 injured.
The SIT was constituted in consultation with the Calcutta High Court following the court's directions regarding the inquiry. It has been tasked with examining the circumstances leading to the stampede, identifying possible lapses and recommending measures to prevent similar incidents.
The investigation will cover crowd management, entry and exit arrangements, safety measures, emergency preparedness and the response of the agencies involved. The team will also examine relevant records and evidence as part of its inquiry.
The state government has directed the SIT to submit its findings and recommendations within three months. The stampede claimed 19 lives and left 25 people injured.
Editorial Analysis
Why This Matters
The investigation will seek to establish the circumstances behind the tragedy and identify any failures in crowd control, safety planning or emergency response.
