The Kolkata stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata killed at least 19 people and injured 25 others on Saturday evening after a sudden downpour triggered a rush for shelter, with residents and eyewitnesses questioning police deployment and crowd management at the site.
The incident took place at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal around 7.30pm, when hundreds of revellers moved into the structure to escape heavy rain. According to residents who were among the first to respond, most police personnel appeared to be stationed near the VIP entrance, leaving other parts of the venue inadequately monitored. They also alleged that the site did not have enough police personnel or volunteers to manage the crowd.
The administration subsequently sealed the pandal. The venue was one of three Durga Puja installations adjudged ‘Serar-sera’ by the state government this year. The action followed a crowd surge inside the pandal, where visitors were reportedly trapped as people entering from a narrow lane converged with those already inside.
Eyewitnesses said thousands of people had been queuing in the narrow Radha Madhab Saha Lane when the rain intensified. Visitors who had completed the viewing were unable to leave because people outside were seeking shelter inside the pandal. As pressure built up from behind, the movement of the crowd stopped near the exit.
One eyewitness told the Times of India that a sudden push caused people to stumble near a flight of stairs close to the exit. Several people fell down the stairs, while others were trampled in the crush. Some visitors managed to leave, while local residents pulled others out after dismantling a portion of the pandal, the eyewitness said.
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 during the crush. The account from the hospital establishes the immediate medical cause reported by doctors, while the circumstances that led to the crowd surge remain subject to the accounts of residents, eyewitnesses and the authorities’ response.
The physical arrangement of the venue has emerged as a central concern. The pandal was located in the narrow Radha Madhab Saha Lane, and its layout required visitors to descend a flight of stairs from an upper deck to a lower level near the exit. Residents and eyewitnesses said the combination of a constricted approach, rain-driven movement and restricted passage created severe pressure among people trying to enter and leave at the same time.
The Chorbagan puja had previously posed crowd-management challenges because of its location and layout. Sources cited by the Times of India said a change in the puja committee had resulted in people with earlier experience in crowd management no longer being in charge. The report did not identify the new committee members or specify whether the administration had approved any change to the site’s crowd-control plan.
The stampede has also revived memories of a crowd scare at Deshapriya Park during Durga Puja in 2015. Thousands had gathered there to see an installation promoted as featuring the world’s largest Durga idol, bringing traffic across large parts of south Kolkata to a standstill. Several people fell ill or suffered injuries in that incident, but no deaths were reported.
The Chorbagan pandal has now been sealed following the deaths and injuries. Further official action, including any administrative or police inquiry into crowd-control arrangements, will determine how responsibility for the incident and the site’s safety planning is assessed.
