An announcement, saying “Vacate the pandal immediately, a portion of the structure is about to collapse”, is believed to have triggered panic and led to Saturday’s stampede at a north Calcutta Durga Puja pandal.
Nineteen people have been reported killed and at least 25 were injured in the tragedy at the Chorebagan Sarbajanin Durgotsav Samity’s Puja.
The pandal, inaugurated by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, is now under scrutiny over allegations of multiple structural and crowd-management failures on the part of the organisers and the police.
Eyewitness accounts point to several factors that may have combined to turn a festive gathering into a deadly crush.
The announcement
The warning that a portion of the structure was “about to collapse” prompted visitors to rush towards the exit. However, during this time, those closer to the exit seem to have been reluctant or unable to move out because of the rain.
Many people found themselves unable to move freely in either direction, causing a dangerous compression of bodies in a tightly packed passage, leaving many struggling to breathe or remain on their feet. Some people fell and got trampled.
An orderly evacuation instead of a reckless announcement could have averted the stampede.
VIP bias
Several visitors alleged that the corridor earmarked for ordinary people was considerably narrower than the one reserved for VIPs. The arrangement raises questions about the prioritisation of space at a venue expected to attract large crowds.
The narrower corridor for hoi polloi taking the bulk of the footfall meant the congestion only got worse when a large number of panicked people surged towards the exit.
Police role
Sources in Lalbazar raised questions about the crowd assessment and police deployment.
They said the pandal had attracted exceptionally heavy footfall from Wednesday onwards, with the crowd remaining substantial through the next three days till Saturday.
Despite this, they said, questions remain whether adequate police reinforcements were sent. The police are meant to oversee entry regulation and queue control, while ensuring an unobstructed exit. There were complaints of mismanagement on each of these fronts.
Pandal clearance
According to protocol, all big Puja pandals in Calcutta are inspected by the local police, and then by the divisional commissioner and after that by more senior police officers, including the police commissioner.
It was not clear whether the police commissioner had visited the pandal —whose shape, spacing of corridors, and lighting arrangements have come under the scanner — while it was being erected.
Suvendu said a high-level committee, headed by a sitting judge, was being formed to probe the tragedy. The panel will not have any representative from the city police, keeping in mind the allegations against the force, he said.
Home guards
Suvendu said the home guards — temporary police recruits — who were in charge of holding the ropes to segregate the entry and exit routes had left when rain began to fall.
“I have asked for the list of home guards who were on duty. They left the rope the moment it started to rain,” Suvendu said.
Volunteers
Many who visited the pandal this year said there weren’t enough volunteers given the size of the crowd.
“Most of them had not been briefed properly, either, and did not seem to know what to do in an emergency,” a resident of the neighbourhood said.
Most of the volunteers, wearing orange T-shirts, were heard whistling furiously as visitors rushed inside, apparently unable to manage the crowd. The sound of multiple whistles only added to the confusion, many felt.
Spiral trap
The pandal’s circular design required visitors to climb down a flight of steps from an elevated structure and pass through a narrow, winding corridor. Such a layout can become hazardous, obstructing visitors’ view.
Poor lighting
Visitors alleged that the pandal’s interiors were dimly lit, apparently to provide an immersive visual experience, but this seems to have compromised public safety.
Inadequate lighting within a crowded, narrow, circular passage can make it difficult to identify the steps, negotiate turns, or see the people who have fallen.
Once visitors began stumbling, those behind them may have been unable to stop, causing people to collapse on one another.