West Bengal will begin preparations well before the 2027 puja season to prevent a repeat of the Chorbagan stampede, Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari said at a public event in Shyampur on Wednesday night, according to a report by Sangbad Pratidin – Bengal.
The statement followed the stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin puja venue during the first Saptami night, in which several people died and others were injured. Adhikari said the state government had learnt from the incident and would take advance measures so that no similar tragedy occurs in West Bengal during the next puja season.
“Joy was accompanied by sorrow. Due to human error in Chorbagan, several people had to be lost. There will be an investigation,” Adhikari was quoted as saying. He added that 25 people had been restored to health and that 18 people from Bengal had died. According to the report, he had visited the homes of 12 of the deceased and planned to visit the remaining six between December 23 and 24.
The chief minister said compensation could not erase the deaths but that the government had responsibilities towards the affected families. He also announced that an investigation would examine the Chorbagan incident. The report did not provide details of the investigation’s terms, the crowd-management arrangements at the venue or the agencies responsible for implementing the proposed advance safety measures.
Adhikari made the remarks while attending a Bijoya Sammelani programme at the Belpukur College ground in Shyampur. Alongside the response to the stampede, he announced several local development proposals, including the expansion of a 14-bed primary health centre to a 100-bed facility by December. The proposed upgraded centre is also expected to receive ultrasonography and X-ray services.
The chief minister also referred to Shyampur’s exposure to cyclones and raised the need to prevent breaches in river embankments. He said wooden bridges in the area would have to be converted into permanent structures and mentioned a proposed large bridge at Boalia. The report did not specify the project’s cost, implementing agency, design or construction schedule.
Adhikari further said Shyampur had tourism potential and announced that one lakh young people would receive government employment by May 8 of the following year, with recruitment conducted transparently. He urged panchayats to complete work worth Rs 50 lakh each within six months under the Viksit Bharat VB-GRAMG project, saying that 125-day employment programmes could support 370 types of works. He also said 25 lakh houses would be built in the next phase of the housing scheme.
The immediate administrative milestone remains the investigation into the Chorbagan stampede and the advance crowd-safety planning promised for the 2027 puja season.
