Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari reviewed security and logistical arrangements for Durga Puja idol immersions at Babughat in Kolkata on Wednesday, as the state administration strengthened precautions following a stampede at a city pandal that killed 19 people.
Accompanied by Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand and Kolkata Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey, Adhikari inspected the arrangements and discussed measures to ensure that the immersion process on Bijaya Dashami proceeded safely.
“Additional precautions have been taken, and security arrangements have been strengthened. The NDRF is also involved in security arrangements. Cleaning work will be carried out after the immersions are over,” the chief minister said.
The review followed the fatal stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata’s Chorbagan area on October 17. The incident prompted renewed scrutiny of crowd management and safety arrangements at large public gatherings.
18 IPS Officers Deployed Across Four Police Commissionerates
The state administration has assigned 18 IPS officers to supervise idol immersions in Kolkata and three neighbouring police commissionerates: Howrah, Barrackpore and Chandannagar.
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According to an official cited in media reports, 12 officers have been assigned to Kolkata, while the remaining six will oversee arrangements in the three neighbouring commissionerates. Their deployment is scheduled to continue from October 21 to October 24, with individual duty schedules prepared for each officer.
The deployment is intended to strengthen supervision during the immersion period, when large numbers of devotees gather at riverfronts and designated immersion points
Kolkata Immersion Duty Schedule
The following officers have been assigned to supervise immersions in Kolkata:
- October 21 and 23: Gaurav Sharma (IPS: 2005: WB), Soma Das Mitra (IPS: 2006: WB), Rashid Munir Khan (IPS: 2008: WB), Akash Magharia (IPS: 2009: WB), Suresh Kumar Chadive and Dhritiman Sarkar (IPS: 2014: WB).
- October 22 and 24: Praveen Kumar Tripathi (IPS: 2004: WB), Imran Wahab (IPS: 2004: WB), Shish Ram Jhajharia (IPS: 2005: WB), Soumya Roy (IPS: 2012: WB), Parijat Biswas (IPS: 2013: WB), and Siddhartha Dhapola (IPS: 2020: WB).
Deployments in Neighbouring Commissionerates
The duty assignments in the three neighbouring commissionerates are as follows:
- Howrah: Indra Chakraborty will supervise immersions on October 21 and 23, while Avaru Ravindranath (IPS: 2009: WB), will oversee arrangements on October 22 and 24.
- Barrackpore: Palash Chandra Dhali (IPS: 2017: WB), and Dyutiman Bhattacharya (IPS: 2011: WB), have been assigned to supervise immersions.
- Chandannagar: Avijit Banerjee (IPS: 2013: WB) and Sandeep Mandal will oversee the immersion arrangements.
NDRF and Police Strengthen Immersion Precautions
The chief minister said the administration had strengthened security arrangements and involved the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The immersion process requires coordination among police personnel, municipal authorities and emergency-response teams to manage crowds, maintain access routes and respond to incidents.
The administration also plans to undertake cleaning operations after the immersions are completed, according to Adhikari.
The security review comes amid heightened concern over public safety following the Chorbagan stampede. The incident has placed additional focus on crowd-control measures at major religious gatherings and the arrangements needed to protect devotees.
Kolkata Stampede Raises Crowd-Management Concerns
The stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal on October 17 left 19 people dead and prompted an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The tragedy has underscored the importance of managing visitor movement, avoiding overcrowding and maintaining adequate emergency access at major festival venues.
The state government’s deployment of senior police officers for the immersion period is part of the arrangements being implemented as Durga Puja celebrations conclude.
With immersion activities continuing across Kolkata and neighbouring commissionerates, the administration faces the task of facilitating religious observances while maintaining public safety.
