Policemen posted outside the Chorbagan pandal on Monday. picture by Sukhomoy Sen
“There were around 30 CCTVs installed in and around the puja pandal. Police have so far arrested nine people in connection with the stampede and recorded the statements of around 65 people, including several injured in the incident, home guards, civic volunteers, private security personnel and local residents.
Cops said experts had been contacted to retrieve whatever footage is possible from there. After the meeting, the SIT chief told the media: “Our main focus is on how to take the investigation forward step by step. “The SIT is aiming at reaching its final conclusions solely on the basis of neutral evidence, without making any prior assumptions,” said a member.
We could not find the footage from at least half of them. The state govt has appointed a six-member special investigation team (SIT), headed by retired Justice Anindita Roy Saraswati, to probe into the incident and chart ways to stop a repeat. Senior police officers of the SIT were present at the meeting. The SIT investigation is mainly focusing on whether there was adequate lighting and proper entry and exit routes in the pandal, whether there had been a clear crowd-control plan, and whether there were any structural flaws or negligence in the construction of the pandal. At the same time, investigators are also examining whether there were any administrative or safety lapses on the part of the local police and the puja organisers.
The recording is required to ascertain how the stampede-like situation occurred and what led to the tragedy,” a senior police officer said on Monday. The team held a meeting on Monday to decide the next course of action.
Nineteen people had lost their lives and 25 others were injured in the stampede here on Oct 17, the first Saptami evening.
Kolkata: In what may come as a possible setback for the investigation into the Chorbagan stampede, cops have confirmed that footage from 17 CCTV cameras was “unavailable” out of the 30 installed in and around the pandal premises.