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).
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 causes of the accident were as follows:
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Sudden heavy rain and narrow path: It suddenly started raining heavily in the evening. People who were already having darshan inside the pandal stayed there instead of coming out to avoid getting wet.
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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.
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Severe pressure at the exit: At the same time, there was a huge gathering of people on the entry and exit routes. Due to excessive pressure of the crowd near the exit gate, some people walking ahead slipped and fell down.
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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.
After the accident, 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 condolences on this horrific tragedy.
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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.
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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 the injured are being provided assistance of ₹5 lakh and free treatment.
The state government has decided to request the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to constitute an independent fact-finding committee comprising the Special Task Force (STF) and forensic experts in this case. 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.