3 min readKolkataUpdated: Oct 28, 2026 05:24 PM ISTPurses and other belongings left behind by devotees lie on the floor of the Puja pandal. 19 people were killed in the stampede. (AP)More than half of the 30 CCTV cameras at Kolkata’s Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal, where a stampede claimed 19 lives, did not work and were just “showpieces”, the investigation into the tragedy has revealed.Investigators probing the incident have found that 17 out of the 30 CCTV cameras installed at the north Kolkata pandal were dysfunctional. The lack of adequate video footage has hindered the police’s efforts to piece together the sequence of events leading up to the stampede.The biggest hurdle for the forensic team is the lack of adequate footage of the pandal’s exit gate. Of the three cameras installed there, two were not working, a source among the investigators said, adding that they are now relying on the footage recorded by the lone working camera.“We seized two DVRs (digital video recorders) from Chorbagan. We were told one DVR contained footage from 14 cameras and the other from 16 cameras. However, recordings from only 13 CCTV cameras could be recovered from one of the DVRs,” a senior police officer said.To reconstruct the moments of chaos leading up to the stampede, forensic experts are now cross-matching available recordings from the functional cameras. Investigators are also probing allegations that the pandal’s interior lacked adequate lighting. They are questioning the artist who designed the pandal to analyse its planning and layout, and how the Puja organisers planned to handle crowds at the entry and exit points.Officers are speaking to those who visited the pandal and the families of those killed in the stampede. “We have already questioned 25 people injured in the incident. Now, the police are working to piece together the entire sequence of events by using the available CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts, and information about the pandal’s structure,” an officer said.Shortly after the tragedy on October 17, Kolkata Police arrested seven people, including key office-bearers of the Chorbagan Durga Puja committee.Investigators believe multiple factors contributed to the stampede, but the key cause was a false warning over the public address system that said the pandal was about to collapse. This sparked panic, leading to the stampede.Story continues below this ad“There were a number of factors that triggered panic and prompted the devotees within the pandal premises to rush. However, we feel the misleading announcement was the crucial factor that triggered panic among the devotees, leading to the stampede. Otherwise, the situation could have been manageable, and probably the loss of so many lives could have been avoided,” a city police officer stated.Sweety Kumari is a seasoned journalist reporting from West Bengal for The Indian Express. With over ... Read More Tags:Kolkatastampede