A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kolkata Police probing the October 17 stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin community Durga Puja in North Kolkata — which claimed 19 lives — has secured a critical 15-minute CCTV clip that reportedly shows devotees inside and outside the pandal repeatedly ignoring police requests not to overcrowd the venue. The footage, spanning 7.15 pm to 7.30 pm on the night of the tragedy, has emerged as a key piece of evidence in the ongoing probe.

What the CCTV Footage Captures

According to police insiders, the 15-minute video records two simultaneous crowd-management efforts: officers stationed inside the pandal requesting devotees to step out, while personnel posted at the entrance urged those outside not to push in until space cleared. Neither group complied, insiders said.

'Our men had been requesting these two groups of devotees inside and outside the pandal to prevent overcrowding within the pandal. But because of the rain, neither the devotees present within the pandal evacuated, nor those present outside stopped rushing in. This led to a totally claustrophobic situation within the pandal because of the overcrowding just before the stampede tragedy,' a city police insider said.

The account given by police personnel is also reportedly corroborated by eyewitnesses who were separately questioned by investigating officials, lending additional weight to the footage as evidence.

Untrained Security Guards at the Venue

A separate and troubling detail has emerged from the investigation: the private security guards deployed by the puja committee organisers were not sourced from any professional security agency. According to information gathered during the probe, the committee had engaged local unemployed youths who reportedly lacked even basic crowd-management training. SIT members are currently questioning puja committee organisers on this aspect.

This raises serious questions about event safety standards at large public gatherings, particularly those drawing tens of thousands of visitors over multiple days. The absence of professionally trained crowd controllers at a venue of this scale is being examined as a potential contributing factor.

Parallel Judicial Probe Under Way

Beyond the SIT, the West Bengal state government has constituted a six-member judicial probe panel to conduct a parallel investigation into the tragedy. The panel is chaired by Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati (retired), who told reporters on Monday that evidence collection will commence from 31 October.

The judicial panel is mandated to submit its final report to the state government within six months of its formation. Its findings are expected to address systemic lapses in crowd management, event permissions, and safety compliance at large-scale public gatherings in the city.

What Comes Next

With the SIT securing documentary evidence and the judicial panel set to begin formal evidence collection this week, the dual-track investigation into one of Kolkata's deadliest crowd-crush tragedies in recent memory is picking up pace. Accountability — whether it rests with event organisers, security arrangements, or broader regulatory oversight of public gatherings — will likely be determined by the convergence of both probes.