AFTER DEADLY CHOREBAGAN STAMPEDE, BENGAL DEPLOYS 18 IPS OFFICERS TO TIGHTEN DURGA IDOL IMMERSION SECURITY
October 21, 2026
KOLKATA, OCTOBER 21: The West Bengal government has deployed 18 Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to supervise Durga idol immersion operations across four urban police jurisdictions, stepping up security arrangements following the fatal stampede at Kolkata’s Chorebagan Durga Puja pandal that claimed 19 lives earlier this week.
Of the 18 officers assigned to immersion duty, 12 will oversee operations within the Kolkata Police jurisdiction, while the remaining six will supervise arrangements in Howrah, Barrackpore and Chandannagar. The officers will remain on duty from Wednesday, October 21, through October 24, with individual schedules prepared for the different immersion dates.
The deployment follows one of the deadliest incidents associated with Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata in living memory. The Chorebagan stampede has intensified scrutiny of crowd management and public safety during the festival, prompting heightened attention to the arrangements surrounding the immersion process.
Six IPS officers — Gaurav Sharma, Soma Das Mitra, Rashid Munir Khan, Akash Magharia, Suresh Kumar Chadive and Dhritiman Sarkar — have been assigned to supervise immersions in the Kolkata Police area on October 21 and 23.
Another six officers — Praveen Kumar Tripathi, Imran Wahab, Shish Ram Jhajharia, Soumya Roy, Parijat Biswas and Siddhartha Dhapola — will oversee immersion activities in the city on October 22 and 24.
In Howrah, Indra Chakraborty will supervise immersion arrangements on October 21 and 23, while Avaru Ravindranath will take charge on October 22 and 24.
Palash Chandra Dhali and Dyutiman Bhattacharya have been assigned to the Barrackpore commissionerate. Abhijit Banerjee and Sandeep Mandal will supervise the immersion process in Chandannagar.
The expanded deployment places senior police officers directly in charge of overseeing the immersion operations across the four jurisdictions during the remaining days of the festival. Their schedules have been drawn up to cover the different dates on which idol immersions will take place.
The decision comes amid heightened concern over crowd control following the Chorebagan tragedy. With large numbers of people participating in festival activities and immersion processions, maintaining orderly movement and ensuring public safety have become particularly important.
The deployment represents a significant supervisory measure by the state government as the festival moves towards its concluding rituals. However, the effectiveness of the arrangements will ultimately depend on how well crowd management and other safety measures are implemented on the ground.
Following the loss of 19 lives at Chorebagan, the immersion period carries added responsibility for the authorities, who must ensure that the remaining celebrations and processions proceed without another major tragedy.
