The wife of Babu Majumdar, one of the accused arrested in connection with the deadly stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, has alleged that senior puja committee officials instructed her husband to announce that the pandal was collapsing and later advised him to go into hiding.
The stampede, which occurred on October 17, 2026, killed 19 devotees and left several others injured. Kolkata Police arrested Majumdar on the morning of October 23 from the Girish Park area, taking the total number of arrests in the case to nine.
Accused’s Wife Alleges He Was Told To Go Into Hiding
Koel Majumdar told the media after her husband’s arrest that senior officials of the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja committee had instructed him to announce that the pandal had collapsed or was about to collapse during the incident.
She said her husband made the announcement believing that the danger could increase. Koel further alleged that after the stampede, the same officials advised him to go underground and remain in hiding until October 27.
According to her, Majumdar had wanted to surrender to the police on the night of the tragedy itself. Their home is located near the pandal on Amar Bose Lane.
Koel also said that despite her husband’s association with the puja committee for nearly 18 years, he had not previously been assigned announcement duties because he was not particularly strong at verbal communication.
Second Arrest Linked To Misleading Announcements
Majumdar, also known as Kushal or Kalia, is an app-cab driver associated with the puja committee. Police have identified him as the second person allegedly linked to the announcements that reportedly triggered panic among devotees.
The first accused linked to the announcements was Sanjib Raha, alias Sentu, the committee’s treasurer. He was arrested earlier after allegedly going into hiding in Nadia district.
Police identified the two men through CCTV footage that reportedly showed them making announcements warning that the pandal was collapsing and urging people to leave immediately.
Police Probe Possible Causes Of Stampede
Investigators suspect that the announcements contributed to the panic and subsequent rush. Heavy rain, narrow exits and alleged shortcomings in crowd management are also among the factors being examined.
Police have said there was no evidence that the pandal was actually at risk of collapsing. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing the incident to establish the sequence of events and determine responsibility.
The allegations made by Majumdar’s wife have not been independently established. If verified, they could widen the investigation to include other committee officials. The probe is continuing.
