Nine people injured in the Chorbagan puja pandal stampede in Kolkata have been discharged from hospital, while three critically injured patients remain under close medical observation, according to a hospital update reported by Sanmarg. The incident during Saptami night left 19 people dead and 25 others injured.
The nine patients were discharged on Monday from a private hospital near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, where all 14 injured people had later been shifted for further treatment. Hospital officials were completing the required paperwork for the discharges. Two more patients may be released on Tuesday, subject to their medical condition and doctors’ advice.
Patients admitted to the intensive treatment unit, intensive care unit and surgical intensive care unit will not be discharged at this stage. Three patients described as being in serious condition continue to receive treatment, with doctors monitoring them continuously. If their health improves, they could be discharged by Wednesday or Thursday, the report said.
The hospital’s list includes 14 injured people—eight women and six men. The patients were identified as Ranbir Singh, Amanpreet Sidhu, Ananya Das, Sumit Kumar Ghosh, Srija Pal, Drishyani Sarkar, Ankan Ghosh, Brishti Dey, Saroj Devi, Kunas Haldar, Aishiki Roy, Rajesh Kumar Srivastava, Manna Yadav and Parna Nath.
The injured were initially admitted to Medical College Hospital, where 12 people were receiving treatment. Two others were admitted to SSKM Hospital. All 14 were subsequently transferred to the private hospital near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass for specialised care.
According to eyewitness accounts cited in the report, heavy rain in north and central Kolkata on Saptami evening worsened congestion around the pandal. Rain also caused traffic jams on surrounding roads, while more people gathered at the puja venue. Several people standing in queues reportedly tried to enter the pandal to take shelter from the rain, leading to pushing and crowd pressure.
The stampede reportedly intensified on a circular pathway inside the pandal as people fell and the pressure from those behind created a crushing situation. The incident exposed the risks that can emerge when large festival crowds, restricted movement areas, adverse weather and limited crowd-control capacity converge at a temporary public venue.
The latest hospital update indicates that injured people are being discharged in phases rather than all at once. Patients will be released according to their recovery and medical advice, while those in critical care will continue to receive treatment. The next expected milestones are the possible discharge of two additional patients on Tuesday and a further assessment of the three seriously injured patients later in the week.
