KOLKATA: With a group of environmentalists planning to move court against apparent violation of National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders regarding the protection of Rabindra Sarobar during Chhath Puja, the police have started scanning CCTV images of November 13 from the Lake premises. The cops have already registered six FIRs against unknown persons and arrested one person for using a DJ box. “We are trying to ascertain the identity of the real perpetrators,” claimed a senior officer. The Rabindra Sarobar police have been drawing flak from a section of activists who claimed the cops have done little after drawing up the FIRs.Police said that they have collected enough evidence from videography that shows all arrests were in place. A source said the cops have begun to make their defence ready in case they are dragged to court.“We had written a letter to KMDA raising certain issues. The stampede-like situation could have been avoided if our suggestions were followed. But then none of us had the idea that the children and women would be at the forefront making them susceptible to the situation. Every investigation has its own pace. We will be probing all aspects before arriving at any conclusion,” a source at Lalbazar said.Police said that local inputs on the identity of the leaders are still being collected. In one of the FIRs, police have explained at length what transpired to thousands of devotees literally taking control of the Lake on Tuesday evening. “In the morning, we ensured that no one contravened the NGT orders. As the sun was about to set, we found crowds assembling close to the gates. We made public announcements to desist them from performing any rituals and offered to take them to an alternative site in a bus. A few obliged. However, others pointed out that it was almost time for the sun to set and soon, a mob began to push, shove and jostle forward,” said an officer.Some women and kids who were at the forefront fell on the approach road and one of them even twisted her ankle. “As we rushed towards the woman to rescue her, others pushed us to move forward. We could not use force considering the sensitive nature of the gathering and we took the decision based on ground conditions,” said an officer, adding that the FIR is also based on the same parameters.

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