The Kolkata Durga Puja stampede at the Chorbagan pandal in north Kolkata killed at least 19 people and injured 25 others on Saturday evening, after a sudden downpour triggered a crowd surge at the crowded venue. Local residents and eyewitnesses questioned the police deployment and crowd-management arrangements, alleging that personnel were concentrated near a VIP entrance while other areas remained inadequately monitored.
The incident occurred around 7.30pm when hundreds of revellers rushed into the pandal to shelter from heavy rain. Thousands of visitors were reportedly queuing in the narrow Radha Madhab Saha Lane, while people already inside attempted to move towards the exit. The resulting pressure trapped visitors in the pandal and caused several people to fall.
An eyewitness quoted by the Times of India said people who had completed their visit were unable to leave because it was raining outside, blocking the movement of those behind them. The witness described a sudden push near a flight of stairs close to the exit, after which several people fell and others were trampled. Some visitors were able to leave, while locals reportedly dismantled part of the pandal to pull out people who remained trapped.
Doctors at Medical College Kolkata, where most of the injured were admitted, said suffocation was the main cause of death. Several victims also suffered injuries in the crush. The administration subsequently sealed the pandal.
Residents who were among the first to respond to the incident blamed inadequate crowd management and said there were not enough police personnel or volunteers at the site. They also alleged that the deployment focused mainly on the VIP entrance. These accounts have not been independently confirmed in the material available, but they have placed the management of public access and emergency movement at the centre of questions following the deaths.
The venue had presented specific crowd-control challenges. The pandal was located on the narrow Radha Madhab Saha Lane, and its visitor route required people to descend a flight of stairs from an upper deck to a lower level near the exit. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the stairs became a critical point during the crowd surge.
Sources cited in the report said a change in the puja committee had removed people with previous crowd-management experience from responsibility for the event. The Chorbagan puja was also among three venues adjudged ‘Serar-sera’ by the state government this year, increasing its visibility and visitor appeal during the festival.
The tragedy has revived memories of a crowd scare at Deshapriya Park during Kolkata’s Durga Puja in 2015. Thousands had gathered there to view an idol promoted as the world’s largest, causing traffic disruption across large parts of south Kolkata. Several people fell ill or were injured, although no deaths were reported at that incident.
The Chorbagan pandal remains sealed following the stampede. The immediate official next step reported by the source is the continued administrative response at the site and medical treatment of those injured.
