"My mother died before my eyes; I too might not have survived," said 25-year-old Sonu Pal, still in shock after his mother died in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in rain-soaked Kolkata on Saturday evening.
The stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata claimed 19 lives and left around 25 people injured on Maha Saptami. The tragedy unfolded when heavy rain triggered a surge of visitors at the pandal.
Pal, a resident of Kumortuli, had gone to see the puja with his mother when it began raining.
"It was raining outside, and nobody wanted to step outside. People who were standing at the entrance to escape the rain kept pushing to get in," he said.
The pressure soon became unbearable, he recalled. "Unable to handle the pressure, everybody inside fell on one another."
Pal said he, too, was caught in the pile-up. "I was also trapped under the crowd. I somehow managed to steady myself and went to my mother, but she was dead," he said.
The incident took place around 7.40 pm in the Girish Park police station area. Kolkata Police said all the injured were taken to Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
Families demand accountability as victims' identities emerge
Grieving relatives of those killed in the stampede questioned who would take responsibility for the deaths, with several expressing anger over the arrangements at the pandal.
Family members told reporters they had been asked to return at 10 am on Sunday to collect the bodies.
"We will collect the body, but who will take the responsibility? Where were the police and the administration?" asked Sunny, a neighbour of one of the victims.
Shubham Sonkar, whose sister had gone pandal-hopping with family members, recalled that he had been planning her wedding. His sister, who was around 30, died in the stampede.
"She is gone today. Who will take the responsibility for this?" he asked.
"Others in the group were not hurt, but my sister is no more," he said.
John Rahman, a neighbour of an affected family, said the relatives were angry and wanted answers from the authorities and the puja organisers.
"Who will take the responsibility? Will the organisers take it, or the administration? They will have to answer," he said.
Among those killed was Priya Samaddar, a Class 12 student from Uttar Jogendranagar in North 24 Parganas district, who had visited Kolkata with friends for pandal-hopping. She was a student of Tapati Balika Vidyalaya in New Barrackpore.
Her death turned what was meant to be an evening of festive celebrations into mourning for her family and neighbours. Police officers visited her residence and spoke to her family members.
"This was the first time my daughter had gone to Kolkata for pandal-hopping. I don't know what went wrong... I received a call from the police asking me to visit Kolkata Medical College and Hospital," her father, a blouse-cutting artisan, told reporters.
"Before leaving her home, she (Priya) had reassured me saying: 'Don't worry Baba, I will return home safely'... That won't happen now," he added.
Another victim, 27-year-old Sriparna Poddar, was a resident of Baidyabati in Hooghly district. She worked as a nurse at Tata Cancer Hospital and had left home for work on Saturday morning before going to Chorbagan with friends.
"My daughter worked as a nurse at Tata Cancer Hospital. She had left home for work on Saturday morning and later had gone to Chorbagan with her friends," her mother, who reached Kolkata on Saturday night, said.
Twenty-year-old Sneha Bhandari, who was scheduled to get married next year, was also among the victims. Her death, just months before the planned wedding, left her fiancé, Abhishek Mondal, devastated.
"I accompanied her to the pandal on Mahasaptami when rain triggered a rush among visitors. I managed to come out, but she got caught in the stampede. I could not save her," Abhishek said, breaking down.
He claimed the exit route was blocked, trapping people inside as the crowd pushed to get out.
"I watched helplessly as Sneha fell amid the chaos and could do nothing to save her," he said.
Police probe crowd management, entry and exit arrangements
Kolkata Police are investigating whether lapses in crowd management, confusion over entry and exit routes, and heavy rain contributed to the stampede, a senior officer said.
Several eyewitnesses alleged that announcements about entry, exit and crowd movement were inadequate, leaving visitors confused during the rush.
Locals also claimed that police deployment at the pandal was insufficient, with personnel mainly stationed near the VIP entrance.
"I have not seen adequate police presence this year. This resulted in the mismanagement," said Sanghamitra Bhowmik, a resident of the Chorbagan area.
Some residents also alleged that there was little administrative assistance in taking the injured to hospitals.
"There must be some lapses, but these should be probed. Whether lapses were on the part of the organisers or they had flouted the rules to erect the pandal will be checked," a police officer told PTI.
The police are examining the circumstances that led to the incident, the crowd control measures in place, arrangements at the venue and the authorities' response during the emergency.
"Eyewitness accounts and other evidence will be examined as part of the investigation," the officer added.
A forensic team reached the pandal area late on Saturday night and began collecting evidence from the spot, another senior police officer said.
Police officers are also questioning the organisers and have sought a list of security guards and others employed to manage the crowd at the venue. The personnel deployed at the site will also be questioned, the officer said.
"We will also talk to the policemen who were posted there. Our officers are talking to the puja organisers. We are preparing the list of people and examining the CCTV footage to find out their respective roles during the time of the mishap," he added.
According to the family members of two of the deceased, private security guards blowing whistles in the pandal area triggered a rush among visitors, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said.
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The chief minister visited the hospital where the injured were being treated and urged puja organisers to follow safety guidelines.
"Many pandals are dimly lit in the name of theme puja," he said.
A large number of Durga Puja organisers in Kolkata and other parts of Bengal compete to attract visitors with elaborate theme-based structures and decorations.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nanda also visited the hospital to take stock of the situation.