Overview
- A stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin pandal on October 17 killed 19 people and left dozens injured, triggering city and court-ordered investigations.
- Police have arrested nine people in connection with the tragedy, with two accused of making a misleading public announcement that officials say helped spark the panic.
- A judicial probe led by retired judge Anindita Roy Saraswati and at least two Special Investigation Teams have been formed with a three-month deadline to examine the causes and responsibility.
- On Bijoya Dashami the Chorbagan idol was removed using professional porters and taken for immersion under heavy police escort without customary rituals such as Debi Boron and Sindoor Khela to preserve the pandal for evidence.
- Authorities across Kolkata tightened crowd controls this year by adding police and volunteers, limiting photography inside pandals, and reviewing traffic and safety plans while other regions like Meghalaya reported peaceful immersions and Bangladesh staged large, highly secured pujas despite earlier reports of attacks on minority sites.