The Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede in north Kolkata has left 19 people dead and 25 injured, prompting Bengal Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh to call for tighter crowd-control arrangements at puja venues across the city.
The tragedy took place on Saturday evening when a surge of visitors gathered at the pandal amid rain. Ghosh said the crush was likely triggered by an overwhelming influx of people, as large numbers of visitors arrived for the festival celebrations.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Ghosh described the incident as deeply distressing and said such a tragedy had not occurred at the venue in previous years. “People have been visiting pandals for years, but such an incident had never happened before. Large celebrations draw lakhs of people; such tragedies should never happen,” he said.
The minister urged Durga Puja committees to put preventive measures in place and coordinate with the police before managing large crowds. He specifically called for arrangements that would enable safer crowd circulation around pandals, where visitor movement can become difficult during peak hours and adverse weather.
“Organisers must ensure crowd safety. Puja committees must take preventive measures in consultation with police to ensure crowd circulation,” Ghosh said. His remarks place responsibility on both event organisers and the police to plan for visitor flows at major festival sites, particularly when large gatherings coincide with rain or sudden surges in attendance.
The incident has brought the operational risks of Kolkata’s large-scale public celebrations into sharp focus. Durga Puja pandals draw lakhs of visitors, creating temporary high-density zones on roads and around neighbourhood venues. Safe movement in such spaces depends on how entry, exit, queues and circulation are organised, as well as how quickly officials can respond when crowd pressure rises.
Ghosh said the state government was taking steps to ensure proper treatment for those injured in the stampede. The report did not provide details on the hospitals treating the injured, the identities of those killed or the specific crowd-control arrangements in place at the Chorbagan pandal when the surge occurred.
The minister’s appeal comes as puja committees continue to manage large visitor numbers during the festival. He urged organisers to work with the police to prevent further incidents and ensure that crowd safety remains central to the operation of the remaining celebrations.
