Kolkata: Video shows crowd breaching barricades, tussling with cops day before stampede

KOLKATA: Videos showing revellers pushing past barricades and tussling with police personnel at north Kolkata’s Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal has brought into focus the mounting crowd pressure at the venue in the days leading up to Saturday’s stampede, which claimed 19 lives and left 25 people injured.The pandal, one of the city’s biggest crowd-pullers this year, had witnessed heavy footfall since opening, with temporary restrictions on crowd movement imposed on multiple occasions over the preceding four days to stagger the rush.Despite these measures, the arrangements proved inadequate to handle the pressure, according to accounts from the area.

Located inside the narrow Radha Madhab Saha Lane, the pandal was among the three adjudged ‘Serar-sera’ by the state government this year.

Its popularity drew large numbers of visitors, with crowds spilling out onto Central Avenue and thousands waiting in the narrow approach lane to enter.The location had long been a concern for authorities, given the limited space available to regulate entry and exit and the difficulty of dispersing large crowds once the lane became congested.

Rain triggers surge as visitors crowd inside pandal

The situation turned tragic around 7.30pm on Saturday, the first of the two Saptami days on the 2026 puja calendar, when a sudden spell of rain prompted visitors to rush inside the pandal for shelter.

What began as a drizzle soon turned into a torrential downpour, which lasted nearly an hour.With people reluctant to step out into the rain, those gathered near the entrance continued to push forward, adding to the pressure on visitors already inside.

Eyewitnesses said thousands were waiting in the queue when the skies opened up. Those who had completed their visit were unable to move out because people ahead were refusing to leave the shelter of the pandal.As the pressure from behind increased, the crowd became difficult to control. One eyewitness recalled feeling a huge push before stumbling forward, with several people falling near a flight of stairs close to the exit. Others fell over them as the crush intensified, while some visitors managed to escape and others had to be pulled out after local residents dismantled a portion of the pandal.

A first-person account by Ram Sarkar, whose wife Arati died in the stampede, described how the situation deteriorated within minutes.

Sarkar said he had initially suggested skipping Chorbagan because he expected it to be crowded, but his wife insisted on visiting after seeing videos of the pandal’s interiors on social media. By the time they arrived, the area was packed, and the queue had spilled onto Central Avenue.Sarkar said the crowd began rushing towards the pandal as the rain intensified. According to his account, volunteers removed barricades and allowed people to enter, apparently fearing that visitors might leave.

Inside, he said, it was dark and packed, leaving little room to breathe. When people began pushing from behind, he fell and became separated from his wife.

He recalled people shouting and screaming as he struggled to get back on his feet. Once he managed to stand, he began searching frantically for Arati. He saw people lying on the ground and relatives crying for help, but alleged that no volunteers, police personnel or organisers came forward to assist them.He eventually found his wife lying motionless and called for help, but said no ambulance was immediately available. It took more than an hour to arrange one, he said. Doctors later told him that Arati had died.

Narrow exits, under scanner

Other eyewitnesses and local residents also alleged that crowd-management arrangements at the pandal were inadequate. Several questioned whether enough police personnel and volunteers had been deployed to handle the rush, with some claiming that police presence was concentrated near the VIP entrance.Questions were also raised over announcements about entry, exit and crowd movement, which visitors said had left people confused during the rush.The pandal’s layout is also being examined as part of the investigation. The design required visitors to descend a flight of stairs from an upper deck to the lower level near the exit, a feature believed to have contributed to the difficulties in moving people out during the surge.

Sources said a change in the puja committee had also meant that people with previous experience in crowd management were no longer in charge.The sudden downpour added another layer of difficulty. Although the Met office had forecast sporadic rain, the evening spell was sharper and more prolonged than expected. H R Biswas, deputy director general of meteorology, said the showers were linked to the retreating monsoon.

A weather official said the rain had made the ground soggy and affected people’s footing, while its persistence for more than 45 minutes contributed to the conditions in which the crowd surge unfolded.The stampede left families scrambling to locate relatives as victims were rushed to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital from around 8pm. The emergency department was overwhelmed as injured people continued to arrive until late in the evening.Police restricted access to parts of the hospital, leaving anxious relatives struggling to obtain information about their loved ones. Some family members alleged that victims had been brought in private cars and cabs because emergency arrangements were inadequate.Among those who died was 18-year-old Tania, who had gone pandal-hopping with friends. Her mother, Rupa Biswas, said she received a call around 8.30pm informing her that Tania was at the hospital and had been declared dead.

Tania’s friends told her that several people had fallen on top of the teenager during the stampede. Suman Sonkar, 21, was another victim. Her sister, Shreya, alleged that people were lying around after the incident but that there were no volunteers or organisers to help transport them to hospital.Priya Samaddar, 20, from Madhyamgram, had also gone pandal-hopping with a friend. Her father, Shyamal Samaddar, said he rushed to the hospital after receiving news of her death but was not allowed to see his daughter immediately.

Other families continued searching for relatives whose whereabouts remained unknown, while some questioned who would be held responsible for the deaths.

14 detained; major pujas shut as reviewed

Police have detained 14 people, including organisers of the Chorbagan Durga Puja, for questioning. Investigators are examining CCTV footage collected from the area and speaking to the puja committee, police personnel and those employed to manage the crowd.The list of security guards and other staff deployed at the venue has also been sought. A forensic team reached the pandal late on Saturday night to collect evidence.Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the hospital and met families of the deceased. He said an initial assessment suggested that an announcement made by the puja committee may have contributed to the incident. The state government has announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job for the next of kin of each person who died, along with Rs 5 lakh for each injured person.

The chief minister said the incident would be investigated and action taken against those found responsible.Adhikari also urged puja organisers to follow safety guidelines and ensure adequate illumination inside pandals, warning against theme-based installations that remain dimly lit. He said the investigation would examine whether organisers, homeguards, temporary workers, police personnel or private security guards had failed in their duties.

The administration has also begun reviewing crowd-management arrangements at other major pujas.Within hours of the Chorbagan tragedy, several prominent Durga Puja organisers across Kolkata were asked to temporarily stop admitting visitors. Tala Pratyay, Alipore Sarbojanin, Chetla Agrani and Ballygunge Sarbojonin were among the crowd-pullers asked to suspend entry, while the show at Allen Park was cancelled.

Santosh Mitra Square reduced the number of visitors allowed inside, and major pujas in Salt Lake were also asked to stop entry as a precaution.At Chetla Agrani in south Kolkata, organisers said they had acted to prevent another tragedy after a sudden spell of rain led to a sharp increase in the crowd inside the pandal. Volunteers raised concerns about the pressure, following which police assessed the situation and ordered an evacuation.

The organisers closed the entry gates, opened the exits and removed barricades to allow people to disperse. They said the situation had not reached the point of a stampede.Chetla Agrani had also been shut down temporarily the previous year after a spark caused by a short circuit was spotted and extinguished. This time, its organisers said, they had complied with the police order as soon as concerns emerged. Tala Pratyay also stopped entry and said it would reassess illumination, entry and exit points, and crowd-management arrangements before reopening.

Allen Park stopped its music and laser show, while Santosh Mitra Square said it had widened entry and exit points and was working to limit the number of visitors inside.Other organisers said they were monitoring crowd movement and increasing the number of volunteers. Suruchi Sangha in Chetla said visitors were being asked to keep moving rather than congregate in front of the idol. Authorities were expected to review arrangements with organisers before deciding when the major pandals could reopen.The incident has revived concerns over crowd management at Kolkata’s biggest Durga Puja attractions, where elaborate themes and social media visibility draw thousands of visitors into limited spaces. The Chorbagan pandal’s narrow approach lane, the queue extending onto a major road, the reported removal of barricades, the rain-driven rush for shelter and the difficulties faced by people trying to exit are among the circumstances investigators are examining.The last major stampede-like incident during Durga Puja in Kolkata was at Deshapriya Park in 2015, when an 88-foot Durga idol billed as the world’s tallest drew enormous crowds and paralysed traffic across large parts of south Kolkata. Several people fell ill and sustained injuries amid the rush, but there were no deaths. The Chorbagan tragedy, by contrast, has left 19 families mourning relatives who had stepped out to celebrate the festival.

As the city’s festive music gave way to ambulance sirens and emergency announcements on Saturday night, many revellers abandoned their plans and headed home. For families who had gone out to visit pandals together, the evening ended in hospitals, frantic searches and unanswered questions about the arrangements meant to keep them safe.