Heightened security, supervisory teams and cleaning plans for Bijaya Dashami immersions
Kolkata — West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday visited Babughat to review arrangements for Durga Puja idol immersions, as the state government tightened security and operational coordination after the stampede at the Chorbagan pandal that killed 19 people.
Accompanied by Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand and Kolkata Municipal Commissioner Smita Pandey, the chief minister examined on-ground preparations to ensure a smooth and safe immersion process on Bijaya Dashami. Officials said additional precautions have been introduced and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is part of the security architecture planned for immersion points.
"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 administration has increased vigilance across the city in the wake of the Mahasaptami evening stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal. To supervise immersion operations, a team of 18 IPS officers has been deployed across Kolkata and three neighbouring police commissionerates, officials said. Of these, 12 officers will supervise immersions in Kolkata, while six will be posted to Howrah, Barrackpore and Chandannagar.
Deployment schedule and supervisory oversight
Officials said the deployment will remain in force from Wednesday until October 24, with specific duty rosters drawn up for each officer. The city supervisors named for Kolkata duties on October 21 and 23 are:
- Gaurav Sharma
- Soma Das Mitra
- Rashid Munir Khan
- Akash Magharia
- Suresh Kumar Chadive
- Dhritiman Sarkar
Those assigned to Kolkata on October 22 and 24 are:
- Praveen Kumar Tripathi
- Imran Wahab
- Shish Ram Jhajharia
- Soumya Roy
- Parijat Biswas
- Siddhartha Dhapola
Howrah, Barrackpore and Chandannagar will be overseen by designated officers as follows:
| Commissionerate | Officers | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Howrah | Indra Chakraborty; Avaru Ravindranath | Oct 21 & 23; Oct 22 & 24 respectively |
| Barrackpore | Palash Chandra Dhali; Dyutiman Bhattacharya | Oct 21–24 (supervision period) |
| Chandannagar | Abhijit Banerjee; Sandeep Mandal | Oct 21–24 (supervision period) |
Officials said duty schedules for each officer have been drawn up to ensure continuous supervisory presence at immersion sites during peak hours.
Operational measures and civic management
Beyond supervisory deployments, the administration has flagged plans for on-site cleaning after immersions and intensified crowd management at principal ghats. Kolkata’s riverfronts — including Babughat and other busy immersion points along the Hooghly — were earmarked for reinforced policing and disaster-response support.
Sources involved in the review said the emphasis during the inspections was on managing entry and exit flows, pre-positioning emergency medical and rescue teams, and coordinating municipal sanitation plans to begin immediately after the rituals conclude.
The heightened scrutiny follows public concern across the city after the Chorbagan incident on Mahasaptami evening. State authorities have indicated parallel measures — including inquiries and administrative reviews — to identify lapses and recommend preventive steps. The immediate priority announced by the chief minister and civic leadership was safe conduct of Bijaya Dashami immersions and post-immersion clearance of sites.
Residents and organisers were urged by officials to cooperate with police directions at immersion points and to prioritise orderly movement near ghats and major thoroughfares during the immersion window.
