Kolkata, Oct 18: A devastating stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata has left 19 people dead and hundreds critically injured, marking one of the city’s darkest hours during the festive season.
Eyewitnesses and attendees present at the scene described an overwhelming mass of humanity trapped inside a tightly constructed iron maze structure designed for the pandal. Trapped in severe claustrophobic conditions with no escape hatches, visitors struggled to move through the suffocating choke points created by the narrow passage design and restricted entry zones. Emergency healthcare facilities and local crowd control measures proved insufficient as the situation rapidly spiralled out of control late Tuesday night.
Disaster management experts and civic observers declared that mega Puja celebrations hosted within narrow alleyways present extreme safety risks. Experts affirmed that fire authorities and municipal agencies must strictly evaluate spatial capacity before granting permissions for large-scale public gatherings.
Critics and public safety advocates maintained that the prevalent VIP entry culture significantly reduces the walking space available to general visitors, creating dangerous bottlenecks. Observers asserted that event organisers must prioritise crowd experience management and spatial planning to prevent such catastrophic safety failures in the future.
