The Chorbagan stampede in Kolkata killed at least 19 people during Mahasaptami night, while eyewitnesses described injuries, panic and a delayed police response inside the crowded puja venue. The incident has also prompted the state government to announce tighter entry arrangements at major puja pandals.
According to Sangbad Pratidin, the situation changed rapidly after part of the pandal collapsed. An eyewitness said the collapse created a suffocating environment as people tried to escape through limited space. Several people were injured, with bleeding faces, head wounds and torn clothing reported at the site.
The eyewitness also described finding shoes, bags and water bottles scattered across the road after the crowd surge. Another young witness said many people became unconscious as the rush intensified. A doctor was reportedly present and checked the pulses of several people, but the witness said there were not enough police personnel inside the venue at the time, delaying efforts to control the situation.
The accounts point to the operational difficulties that can emerge when temporary festival structures, dense pedestrian movement and limited evacuation space overlap. The incident occurred at a major public gathering during the festive period, when crowd movement can change quickly around entry points, narrow passages and viewing areas.
Following the Chorbagan incident, the state has decided to stop VIP passes at large puja pandals, according to the report. Visitors will be required to enter through a single queue. The decision was taken after a meeting at Bhabanibhavan and was announced by Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari, who said steps were being taken to learn from the accident.
The reported changes place crowd access and movement at the centre of the immediate response. A single queue may simplify entry control, but the effectiveness of such a system will depend on how organisers manage holding areas, emergency exits, internal circulation and the movement of people once they enter the pandal complex. The source report does not provide further details about the operational arrangements or the number of police and volunteers assigned to the venue.
The state is also reducing the scale of its Vijay Sammilani programme scheduled for the 26th. The event will reportedly be held without the usual ceremonial grandeur. Puja committees have been called to attend, where tributes will be paid to those who died and financial assistance will be handed to the injured.
The immediate next steps announced by the state are the revised entry rules at major puja venues, the simplified Vijay Sammilani programme and the distribution of financial assistance to injured people. Further details on the implementation of crowd-control and emergency-response arrangements were not included in the report.
