Durga Puja festivities in Kolkata turned tragic on Saturday after a stampede-like situation left at least 18 dead, while several others are said to be injured. The incident took place at Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity puja pandal, a prominent puja in central Kolkata, during the peak hours on Saptami evening, police said.
Track live updates on Kolkata stampede
While the exact cause of the crowd crush is yet to be ascertained, eyewitnesses said that the surging crowd and rainfall worsened the situation.
“The incident took place around 7:30 pm. The crowd at the pandal was already swelling. As it started to rain more people entered the pandal. This resulted in a stampede. Several people were injured,” Dipali Das, a pandal hopper, told the media.
Another eyewitness alleged mismanagement and said that people pushing each other in absence of organisers, volunteers and police personnel.
“There were no puja organsier, no police and no volunteer. Everyone was pushing each other and shouting. Many fell ill,” said Saikat Banerjee, another pandal hopper.
As leaders expressed grief over the loss of lives in the Kolkata pandal stampede, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ₹2 lakh ex-gratia to next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 for injured. “Stampede in Kolkata extremely distressing; my thoughts with people who have lost loved ones,” PM Modi said.
Meanwhile, Union home minister Amit Shah Union is expected to visit injured in hospitals on Sunday, news agency PTI reported.
What the authorities said
The incident occurred at around 7:40 pm, and the pandal has now been closed to visitors, news agency ANI reported, citing Kolkata Police.
“Today at around 7:40 pm, a stampede occurred at the exit gate of Sarada Park (Chor Bagan) Puja Pandal, under Girish Park Police Station, due to heavy crowds of pandal hoppers amid rainfall. The Puja Pandal has now been closed to visitors. All injured persons were rescued and shifted to MCH for treatment,” the police said.
West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and chief secretary Manoj Agarwal visited the hospitalised injured at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.
