In Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, where the entire city was immersed in the joy of worshiping Goddess Durga and celebrating Durga Puja, on the evening of Maha Saptami, a horrific and heart-wrenching accident changed the atmosphere of happiness into mourning. So far 19 people have died, while more than 25 devotees have been seriously injured in a sudden stampede during the darshan at the 91-year-old historical 'Chorbagan Sarvajanin Durga Puja' pandal located in Girish Park police station area of North Kolkata. The dead also included women and a seven-year-old girl. The pandal was immediately sealed after the incident and the injured were admitted to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (MCH). What happened at 7:40 pm? How the chaos broke out: This tragic accident happened on Saturday evening at around 7.40 pm. Being Mahasaptami, thousands of people were gathering since afternoon to see the unique theme and idol of Chorbagan pandal. According to eyewitnesses and local police, the main reasons for the accident were as follows: Sudden heavy rain and narrow road: It started raining suddenly in the evening. People who were already having darshan inside the pandal stayed there instead of coming out to avoid getting wet. There was a tremendous push from outside to inside: at the same time thousands of people standing in queues in the narrow streets moved quickly towards the entrances to escape the rain and go inside. Tremendous pressure at the exit: There was a huge gathering of people at the entry and exit points at the same time. Due to excessive pressure of the crowd near the exit gate, some people walking ahead slipped and fell down. People ran, crushing each other: The uncontrollable crowd coming from behind did not notice those falling in front and people kept falling on each other. In this commotion that lasted for several minutes, 17 people died on the spot due to suffocation and being crushed, while 2 died during treatment in the hospital. Serious lapse in crowd management: More than 12 people in custody After the incident, Kolkata Police and Anti-Rowdy Section (ARS) have seized CCTV footage of the incident site. More than 12 people, including members of the puja organizing committee and private security guards, are being detained and interrogated. Eyewitnesses allege that three times more crowd than the capacity was allowed to enter the pandal simultaneously and the lighting and emergency arrangements at the exits were inadequate. The investigating agencies are also probing whether the barricade or part of any structure of the pandal had collapsed due to the pressure of the crowd, after which the stampede started. President Draupadi Murmu, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed deep condolence on this horrific tragedy, announcement of huge amount of assistance from the Central and State Government. Prime Minister's Relief Fund (PMNRF): The Prime Minister's Office has announced an ex-gratia of ₹ 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased and ₹ 50 thousand each to the injured. State government package: The state administration has announced financial assistance of ₹25 lakh to the dependents of the deceased and a government job to one family member, while assistance of ₹5 lakh and free treatment is being provided to the injured. Preparation of investigation under the supervision of Calcutta High Court The state government has decided to request the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to constitute an independent fact-finding committee in this case involving Special Task Force (STF) and forensic experts. The administration has made it clear that whether it is an official of the organizing committee, a policeman on duty or a home guard, anyone guilty of negligence in crowd management will not be spared. After this accident, strict instructions have been issued for security audit of all other big puja pandals across Kolkata.
