Kolkata: “My mother died before my eyes; I too might not have survived.” These were the words of 25-year-old Sonu Pal, who lost his mother in the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on Saturday evening.
At least 19 people were killed and 25 others injured in the incident, which occurred around 7.40 pm in the Girish Park police station area. Heavy rain and a sudden rush of visitors contributed to the chaos, according to eyewitness accounts and reports.
Pal, a resident of Kumortuli, had visited the pandal with his mother on Saturday night. Recalling the horrific moments, he said more people rushed towards the pandal to escape the rain, causing those inside to fall over one another.
“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. Unable to handle the pressure, everybody inside fell on one another,” he recounted.
“I was also trapped under the crowd. I somehow managed to steady myself and went to my mother, but she was dead,” Pal said.
Kolkata Police said all the injured were taken to Medical College and Hospital.
Theme artiste Sushanta Shibani Pal described the incident as a “black day for Durga Puja”.
“I was there around 3.30 am. Even then, the crowd was so large that I felt uneasy,” he recalled.
Speaking about the precautions taken to prevent such an incident, Pal said senior officers from Kolkata Police headquarters had visited the venue and monitored the situation through live video feeds.
“They explained what needed to be done to manage the crowd. Visitors were stopping in front of the idol to take photographs, causing congestion. Police suggested putting up layers of cloth to prevent people from taking photographs from above. The arrangement was made on Saturday afternoon,” he said.
Pal said he was told that visitors inside the pandal did not want to leave because of the rain, while those outside continued to enter.
“Amid the resulting rush, the tragic incident took place,” he said.
Another witness, Vinay Kumar, said the police failed to manage the crowd during the sudden rush triggered by heavy rain.
“There was an excessive crowd here, and they did not want to get out in the rain. The police administration was fully functional, but the crowd could not be handled,” he said.
Another eyewitness, Uttam, described the response following the incident, saying police personnel and local civil volunteers were present to assist those affected. He added that the local MLA was involved in coordinating arrangements and ensuring medical assistance for the injured.
“We are local residents. When we heard about this incident, we immediately came here. The police administration had full arrangements and they fully cooperated. The local civil volunteers were also present. Our local MLA was fully engaged in making arrangements and ensuring treatment for them at the medical hospital. The incident occurred as the people wanted to avoid the rain to save themselves and their children,” Uttam said.
However, some local residents claimed that police deployment at the spot was inadequate, alleging that personnel were mainly stationed near the VIP entrance.
They also alleged that announcements about entry, exit and crowd movement were unclear, leaving visitors confused during the rush.
The site of the tragedy witnessed emotional scenes as survivors and relatives of the deceased struggled to come to terms with the loss.
Relatives questioned who would be held responsible for the deaths. Speaking to reporters, family members said 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.
A man who was planning his sister’s wedding recalled his last conversation with her. She was around 30 years old and had gone pandal-hopping with family members.
“She is gone today. Who will take the responsibility for this?” asked Shubham Sonkar.
“Others in the group were not hurt, but my sister is no more,” he said.
Another relative alleged that crowd management at Chorbagan was poor compared with arrangements at other Durga Puja pandals in the city.
John Rahman, a neighbour of an affected family, said relatives were angry and wanted accountability.
“Who will take the responsibility? Will the organisers take it, or the administration? They will have to answer,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)