As many as 17 people died and nearly 35 others got injured in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in northern Kolkata on Saturday, October 17, evening. It was the Saptami puja day.
Overcrowding of devotees during the rain is said to be the main reason behind the stampede at Chore Bagan Sarbojanin Puja pandal, which took place at about 7.45 PM. At least 35 people were injured in the stampede, and they have been moved to the hospital.
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The dead include 13 women and one child, sources in northern division of Kolkata Police said. A toll-free helpline number – 18003455678 – was issued by police for people looking for their relatives not found after the stampede. The puja pandal was ordered shut down after the tragedy, and nobody was allowed entry till further orders.
The injured people were rushed to Calcutta Medical College. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal reached the hospital to oversee the treatment being given to the injured.
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Several hundreds of people had arrived at Chore Bagan Sarbojanin Puja pandal, a site popular among Kolkatans for decades, to see the idols of Goddess Durga and other deities. It was raining at the time, and people had to stand in queues to enter the pandal premises to see the idols and the grand decoration inside.
“There were very long queues of devotees, and it was taking more than one hour for them to get to see Ma Durga’s idol. It was equally hard for people to get out of the pandal after seeing the idols. The area was narrow, and the lines of people waiting to come out were long,” said an eye-witness.
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Another eye-witness said that the arrival of an unusually high number of people to see the idols at the pandal had indicated that safety could be an issue. “Police monitoring the crowd outside the pandal should have shut it down like they did at Deshapriya Park. But that was not done. Action was not taken at the right time,” said the eye-witness.
Former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee expressed sadness at the incident and wished the injured speedy recovery. “Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the stampede at the Chore Bagan Puja Pandal. I pray to Maa Durga for the speedy recovery of all those injured and for strength and courage for their families during this difficult time,” she wrote on X.
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State Governor Ravi also expressed his shock. “Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in the stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families in this hour of grief. Praying for the swift recovery of the injured,” he posted on X.
