Kolkata, October 19: The stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on the night of October 17 killed 19 people and injured 25, and on Monday the tragedy widened into a citywide safety crackdown, with autopsy findings emerging and the fire department serving notices on three of Kolkata's biggest puja committees.

The crush broke out at around 7:40 pm on Saturday, during Maha Saptami, as heavy rain lashed the city and a sudden surge pushed visitors towards the pandal in a narrow lane. Seven people, including office-bearers of the Chorbagan puja committee, have been arrested, a local court has remanded them to 10 days of police custody, and police have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Citing sources aware of the autopsy reports, IANS reported on Monday that the prime reason behind the deaths was extreme suffocation after victims were trapped under several people rushing to come out of the pandal. Some deaths were caused by multiple internal injuries, and in six cases the impact was such that rib bones were crushed and punctured the lungs, the report said.

The West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Department on Monday served show-cause safety notices on three high-profile South Kolkata organisers — Chetla Agrani, Ballygunge Cultural Association and Tridhara Sammilani — after a special audit found deficiencies in fire preparedness and crowd management, PTI reported. On Sunday the department had directed the removal of unauthorised temporary structures and hazardous stalls near pandals, citing LPG cylinders kept near highly inflammable material, and stressed adequate lighting, ventilation and fans inside pandals. Tridhara Sammilani functionary Debashis Kumar told PTI the committee had obtained its NOC from the department before the inauguration.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced that the state will seek a Special Investigation Team headed by a sitting Calcutta High Court judge, ₹25 lakh compensation and a government job for the family of each person killed, and ₹5 lakh for each injured person, with the government bearing medical expenses. Prime Minister Narendra Modi separately announced ₹2 lakh from the PMNRF for each deceased person's next of kin and ₹50,000 for each injured person.

Medical teams from Kolkata's medical colleges have been deputed at high-footfall pandals from 5 pm to 6 am since Sunday evening, a duty that will continue until immersion, and the administration has barred the system of VIP passes at big-budget community pujas. Some doctors have questioned whether medical teams alone can help in a crush-like situation and have urged the administration to concentrate on efficient crowd control for the remaining puja days.

Sources: IANS; PTI; ANI / News On AIR.