Chorgabagan Durga Puja Stampede: Kolkata’s First Fatal Stampede

The stampede at the in north Kolkata is the first fatal stampede Kolkata has ever witnessed. It is being said that a lack of crowd management and alleged misleading announcements following a sudden downpour on Saturday night, Saptami, might have led to the tragic incident, the police suspect.

Police officials said that according to the prima facie circumstantial evidence, and from what the locals and eyewitnesses told police, it suggests that the organisers had not made proper crowd control arrangements. It is being said that the number of police personnel and private security guards deployed there was not adequate.

“We have gathered sufficient evidence pointing to gross mismanagement by the puja organisers. There was no clear plan to manage the large number of visitors, and everything was handled verbally. We have collected CCTV camera footage, recorded accounts from locals and eyewitnesses, and corroborated our findings. Security personnel were inadequate,” the police officer told the media.

Locals also claimed that police deployment at the pandal was inadequate, alleging that personnel were mainly stationed near the VIP entrance.

“Due to the mismanagement, people tried to escape through the entrance gate during the stampede. Both the gates and the approach road were narrow, which contributed to the accident,” police said. They further said that announcements regarding entry, exit, and crowd movement were inadequate, leaving visitors confused during the rush.

“We have video footage of an announcement asking people to leave the pandal on the grounds that the structure was about to collapse. We are trying to identify who made the announcement and what prompted it,” the officer said.

A team of forensic experts visited the pandal on Saturday night and collected evidence from the site, he said.

“Another team of forensic experts will visit the pandal today to collect further evidence. Officers from our Detective Department will also visit the venue as part of the investigation,” he said. Kolkata Police is also planning to question survivors as part of the probe, the IPS officer said.

“We need first-hand accounts to cross-check the findings based on statements from locals and other eyewitnesses. This will help our investigation,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 on roads adjoining the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Sunday morning. The orders will remain in force until October 20.

Looking at the history of stampedes and crowd surges during Durga Puja in Kolkata has been rare, and no stampede has been this fatal. In October 2015, heavy crowds had gathered to see an 88-foot Durga idol at Deshapriya Park, leading to overcrowding in the narrow streets. This triggered panic and suffocation, particularly among the senior citizens and children. Around 11 people were injured, but there were no fatalities.