A crowd-trapping incident at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata left visitors unable to move near the main exit on Saturday evening, prompting local residents to break through a temporary plywood barrier and rescue around 14 to 15 people, according to an eyewitness account published by Anandabazar.com.
The incident occurred during Saptami celebrations after rain began in the area. Local resident Vicky Prasad told the publication that he and his friends were sitting near the pandal when they heard children and women crying out. They ran towards the main exit and found that a narrow road and a temporary plywood passage had become blocked under the pressure of the crowd.
Prasad said several visitors were trapped with the lower halves of their bodies compressed by the crowd. According to his account, people were unable to move even slightly forwards or backwards because their bodies were pressed tightly against one another. The source report describes the situation as one in which several people were being crushed inside the pandal area.
The local youths then began removing sections of the plywood enclosure and breaking part of a wall to create additional space. They helped bring out approximately 14 to 15 people, including a six-year-old child and a man estimated to be around 50 years old, the report said.
One elderly man was recovered unconscious. Prasad said he and the other youths attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation after learning the procedure from online videos. He told Anandabazar.com that they continued pressing the man’s chest for some time, after which bleeding began from his nose and they stopped, fearing they might cause further harm.
A doctor who was present nearby subsequently examined the man and confirmed that he had died, according to the eyewitness account. The report does not provide an official total of deaths or injuries from the incident.
The rescue effort continued with the involvement of police and volunteers. Because of the congestion, the group reportedly had to walk a considerable distance before arranging a vehicle to transport those affected to Kolkata Medical College. The source report does not specify whether the pandal organisers or civic authorities issued a separate public statement on the incident.
The account places the focus on the practical risks created when a high-footfall festival venue has a narrow approach, a temporary exit structure and limited space for people to disperse during sudden crowd pressure. Further official details on the number of casualties, the cause of the congestion and the safety arrangements at the venue were not included in the supplied report.
