Kolkata Police’s much-vaunted crowd-management machinery for Durga Puja lay in tatters as one lifeless body after another was pulled out of the Chorbagan puja pandal on Saturday night.
For years, most Calcuttans have believed that, whatever the police’s performance through the year, they could be relied upon to manage the massive crowds during Puja. Not anymore.
The Chorbagan tragedy has shaken that confidence and raised uncomfortable questions about the preparedness of the police.
The venue had emerged as one of this year’s major attractions, drawing large crowds with its theme, “Beyond Sound”. Police sources said the pandal reported the highest footfall in the last three days yet no additional arrangements were made on Saptami.
An elevated, gallery-like structure encircled the idol, allowing visitors a 360-degree view. But parts of the pandal were dimly lit, and signage was inadequate, leaving many visitors struggling to locate the exits in the dark.
The tragedy has also put the organisers’ preparedness, crowd control, entry and exit arrangements, and emergency response under intense scrutiny.
Durga Puja in Calcutta routinely brings massive crowds, sudden surges in
footfall and unpredictable weather.
Yet, on one of Kolkata Police’s busiest days — Saptami Saturday — a section of the force was busy assisting a bulldozer in razing a CPM book stall in Jadavpur.
Calcuttans are unfamiliar with such lopsided priorities at a time when crowd management across the city was critical.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said a preliminary inquiry suggested that an alleged wrong announcement inside the pandal had contributed to the incident.
“There was a wrong announcement by club officials that caused the accident. Kolkata Police have been instructed to detain and interrogate all the police personnel and private security personnel who were on duty at the pandal. The STF has taken up the probe,” he said.
Many pointed out that rain cannot be treated as an unforeseen complication during a festival that takes place towards the end of the monsoon.
A retired police officer said the city had managed Durga Puja crowds during heavy rain on several occasions without a fatal stampede.
“Rain is always expected. There should have been adequate forces to prevent a rush of people into the pandal even if it was raining heavily,” the officer said.
Whether sufficient arrangements were in place to regulate entry, prevent overcrowding and manage visitors seeking shelter from the rain is now a key question.
Several residents of the area said they did not see enough police personnel rushing to the spot when the stampede occurred.
An eyewitness alleged that neither police nor volunteers did enough to clear the crowd near the exit. “They did not ensure that people left through the exit gate. They should have ensured a smooth flow of people,” the eyewitness said.
Puja organiser Pritam Sarkar said the number of visitors inside the pandal had exceeded its capacity at one point.
“The pandal has been drawing huge crowds for the last few days. The crowd was huge even on Saturday. We were allowing visitors to enter considering the holding capacity,” Sarkar told a news channel. “The rain arrived all too suddenly, and those who were to leave did not because they did not want to get drenched. Chaos prevailed.”
The police said the stampede took place near the exit gate of the Sarada Park (Chorbagan) puja pandal “due to heavy rush of pandal hoppers during rain”.
“All the injured persons were rescued and removed to MCH. Reinforcements from the control room, fire brigade, Kolkata Police and the DMG team, along with ambulances and medical teams, were sent,” additional commissioner of police (crime) Kunal Agarwal said.
The tragedy has revived memories of the 2015 Deshapriya Park puja, when a rush to see an enormous Durga idol left 11 people injured. Kolkata Police subsequently shut the venue to public viewing. In October 2025, police temporarily closed the same pandal after a dangerous crowd surge and activated emergency measures to ease the pressure.