NEW DELHI – A sudden downpour sent crowds rushing towards an already packed Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, trapping visitors inside as people fell over one another in a deadly crush that claimed 19 lives and left 25 injured, according to eyewitness accounts.
Survivors of Saturday evening’s stampede at the Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal have described scenes of panic, desperate attempts to escape and alleged failures in crowd management that may have worsened the tragedy.
The accounts have raised questions about safety arrangements at the popular puja venue, particularly the management of entry and exit points, police deployment and emergency assistance.
Police arrested seven people, including members of the organising committee, on Sunday as investigators examined possible lapses in crowd control and safety arrangements.
‘Everyone inside fell on each other’
Sonu Pal, a resident of Kumortuli, had accompanied his mother to the pandal on Saptami evening when rain disrupted the movement of visitors.
“It was raining outside. No one wanted to come out of the pandal. Meanwhile, the visitors standing at the entrance to escape the rain kept pushing to enter,” Pal recalled.
As more people pressed towards the entrance, those already inside struggled to withstand the pressure.
“Unable to handle the pressure, everyone inside the mandap fell on each other. I myself was also crushed. Somehow, I saved myself,” he said.
Other witnesses described similar scenes as visitors sought shelter from the rain, causing congestion along the narrow approach to the pandal.
People reportedly lost their balance and fell along the circular passage inside the venue, leaving others with little space to move.
Questions over police presence and crowd control
Residents and eyewitnesses have alleged that inadequate crowd-control arrangements contributed to the tragedy.
Some claimed that instructions about entry and exit were unclear, creating confusion among visitors at a time when the crowds were already difficult to manage.
Locals also alleged that police personnel were concentrated near the VIP entrance while other areas lacked adequate supervision.
Several residents questioned the availability of immediate administrative assistance to transport injured visitors to hospitals.
These allegations have not yet been established as findings of the investigation.
Videos circulated on social media showed chaotic scenes outside the pandal, with people screaming and others apparently unconscious on the ground.
Some individuals were seen carrying injured visitors away, while others attempted to pull people out of the crowded structure as rain continued.
Seven arrested as probe examines safety failures
Investigators are examining crowd-management arrangements, access routes and the circumstances that triggered the crush.
Police have registered a case under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 105, which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The seven people arrested include members of the puja organising committee and individuals associated with security and crowd-control arrangements.
While eyewitnesses have linked the disaster to the sudden rain and mounting pressure at the entrance, investigators are also examining reports of a public-address announcement that may have triggered panic.
The precise sequence of events and the responsibility for the tragedy remain under investigation.
ANN/The Statesman