KOLKATA:
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday reviewed arrangements for Durga Puja idol immersions at Babughat in Kolkata as authorities strengthened security following a stampede at a city pandal that claimed 19 lives.
Accompanied by Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand and Kolkata Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey, Adhikari assessed the arrangements to ensure the smooth and safe conduct of the immersion process during Bijaya Dashami.
The administration has stepped up vigilance and deployed 18 IPS officers to supervise immersions in Kolkata and three neighbouring police commissionerates. Twelve officers have been assigned to Kolkata, while six will oversee arrangements in Howrah, Barrackpore and Chandannagar. Their deployment is scheduled to continue until October 24.
Additional precautions have been put in place, and the National Disaster Response Force is also involved in security arrangements, officials said. The authorities have also planned cleaning work after the immersion process.
The enhanced security measures follow a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal on Mahasaptami evening that killed 19 people. Officials are focusing on crowd management and coordination among police and civic agencies to prevent further incidents during the festivities.