A stampede at the Chorbagan pandal in Kolkata turned a festival evening into a mass-casualty emergency, with victims rushed to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital and families struggling to obtain information about relatives on Saturday night, according to a report by the Times of India.
The hospital’s emergency department descended into chaos as injured people began arriving around 8 pm. Victims continued to be brought in until about 10 pm, while police restricted access to the emergency department and adjoining areas. The measures turned the hospital zone into a heavily guarded area, but left anxious relatives outside without clear information about the condition of those who had been taken inside.
Several family members told the newspaper that victims were transported to the hospital in cabs and private cars. The accounts also alleged that people injured in the stampede were left without adequate assistance at the site and that there were insufficient volunteers, organisers or police personnel to help move them quickly to medical care.
Among those who died was 18-year-old Tania Biswas, a resident of Rajarhat who had gone pandal-hopping with friends. Her mother, Rupa Biswas, told the Times of India that she received a call at about 8.30 pm informing her that Tania was at the hospital and had been declared dead. Tania’s friends said several people fell on top of her during the stampede and that she was motionless when they found her.
Suman Sonkar, 21, from Kankurgachi, was also among the dead, according to the report. Her sister, Shreya, said the family received the news at the hospital and alleged that mismanagement at Chorbagan had contributed to the tragedy. She also said that people at the site did not receive medical attention quickly enough.
Priya Samaddar, 20, from Madhyamgram, had been visiting pandals with a friend when she died. Her father, Shyamal Samaddar, told the newspaper that he reached the hospital after receiving a call from his daughter’s friend but was not allowed to see her. Other families remained unsure about the whereabouts of relatives who had gone to Chorbagan. Tupun Roy said his brother-in-law had stopped responding to calls and that police asked the family to wait.
The emergency at the hospital unfolded as senior ministers, Bharatiya Janata Party functionaries and police officials arrived in convoys. Police stopped several angry relatives from approaching the visiting officials. The restricted access, while part of the emergency response, intensified frustration among families seeking confirmation and assistance.
The incident also brought the festive activity around College Street to an abrupt halt. Revellers began leaving the area after police urged people to disperse. The public-address system, normally filled with shehnai and Puja music on Saptami evening, fell silent as ambulance sirens dominated the area outside the hospital. The report did not provide an official consolidated figure for deaths or injuries, and accounts of alleged mismanagement remained attributed to relatives and witnesses.
