Police have so far arrested nine people in connection with the case.
Investigators want to match the voice samples of the arrested accused – Sanjib Raha, the treasurer of the puja, and Kushal Majumdar – with audio recordings of the announcements made on October 17, when a stampede resulted in the death of 19 people, a senior officer said. As part of the probe, police have so far recorded the statements of around 60 people, including several of the 25 injured in the stampede – home guards, civic volunteers, private security personnel and locals.
Police have collected three to four audio and video clips containing announcements made around the time of the incident, he said. The evidence collected will be examined before the chargesheet is prepared,” he said. Preparations are underway to immerse the idols from the Chorbagan puja pandal at Nimtala Ghat under strict police supervision, the officer said.
KOLKATA: The Kolkata Police has approached a local court seeking permission to collect voice samples from two people arrested in connection with the Chorbagan Durga Puja stampede, as part of its probe into loudspeaker announcements that allegedly triggered panic among revellers at the pandal. Investigators have also identified a clip in which the announcement is audible and begun examining the recordings, the Kolkata Police officer added.A loudspeaker announcement that a portion of the Chorbagan puja pandal was collapsing allegedly sparked panic among revellers, triggering a stampede-like situation. “Our officers are trying to establish the sequence of events, the nature of the announcements made over the public address system and their possible impact on the crowd. Police have so far arrested nine people in connection with the case.