As West Bengal police detain 14 people in connection with Saturday’s Chorbagan Durga Puja stampede that claimed 19 lives, a probe is underway into the cause of the deadly accident. This nearly 90-year-old traditional mandap is one of the most popular pujas in the Chorbagan area of North Kolkata.
According to local media reports, a busy weekend, torrential rain and narrow entry and exit routes to the mandap caused the stampede. Inadequate lighting arrangements also contributed to the melee.
Eyewitnesses told local media that a huge crowd had thronged inside and outside the pandal on Saturday, the Mahasaptami day. A sudden downpour sent everyone into a panic, after which some barged into the pandal to escape the rain. The narrow entrance and exit gates of the pavilion began to swell, causing the wooden structure to collapse. This series of events eventually resulted in a stampede.
However, the investigating officials have yet to ascertain the official cause of the tragedy.
A resident, whose daughter and granddaughter were seriously injured and are undergoing treatment in hospital, pointed out the lack of lighting inside the pandal.
“Suddenly, everyone started running. I somehow managed to stand up, shaking with fear. Many people were running over children. There were no police or volunteers around," she added.
Many lost consciousness and collapsed due to the rush. Rescuers rushed them to the hospitals in two-wheelers without waiting for the ambulance.
Sonu Pal, a 25-year-old, arrived at the pandal with his mother when the stampede broke out. Her mother was trampled to death in front of his eyes. “I barely escaped it,” she told local media. “It was raining, and no one wanted to leave the mandap. People at the entrance kept pushing inward to escape the rain. The pressure became unbearable, and people fell on top of one another. I was crushed in the crowd. Somehow, I managed to free myself and began searching for my mother. By then, it was too late,” she added.
Other eyewitnesses alleged there was no system to control the crowd near the venue. The announcements were not proper either.
The police have arrested the puja committee's secretary, vice-president and two employees of a private security agency, among others. "Rajkumar Seoda and Shantanu Dubey were the secretary and vice-president, respectively, of the Chorbagan Puja committee. Biplab Mukhopadhyay was responsible for installing the bamboo structure at the pandal, while Kaushik Saha and Pintu De were in charge of crowd management," the officer said.
