Locals bid farewell to Durga idol at Chorbagan with a heavy heart

 None of the organisers of Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal were present when the Durga idol was rolled out of the pandal on Sunday (October 18, 2026) for immersion. Personnel of Kolkata Police cut a part of the pandal to take the idols out to Kolkara’s Nimtala Ghat for immersion.

The Durga Puja pandal was closed on October 17, after a stampede claimed 19 lives at the pandal. Nine people were arrested in connection with the incident; however, senior Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) leaders, including a local MLA whose name was highlighted on the publicity materials, have not been arrested or called for questioning. West Bengal government has set up a special investigation team (SIT) headed by a retired Judge of Calcutta High Court to probe the stampede.

The chairperson of the SIT, Anindita Roy Saraswati who had visited the Durga Puja Pandal on October 22 had said that there was no obstacle for immersion of the idol but the pandal will have to be preserved for the investigation. Emotional scenes unfolded when the Durga Puja idol was taken out of the pandal for immersion. While the organisers, including any senior official of the West Bengal government, were missing, locals, particularly women, came out to pay obeisance to the Goddess. Unlike the other Durga Puja pandals, the ritual of Sindor Khela was not performed at the pandal. The rituals were stopped on Saptami evening when the stampede broke out, and the pandal premises were sealed by the people.

Hundreds of people from the locality came forward to bid farewell to the Goddess. People held a candlelight procession in memory of the deceased at the Durga Puja Pandal. An elderly woman from the neighbourhood folded her hands and bowed to the idol. Tears were flowing from her eyes. The woman said that what happened this year should not happen again. In her words, “I have seen so many people die before my eyes. The lights of so many houses have gone out. I wish I never had to see this again,” she said.

With the immersion of the idols, the Durga Puja festival has officially drawn to a close in West Bengal. This year, the Durga Puja festival was held under the watch of the BJP government and saw several controversies, including painting flyovers with rainbow colours, attacks on the stalls of Left parties at Durga Puja pandal and a stampede that claimed 19 lives.