During the peak of Kolkata's Durga Puja celebrations, the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity pandal became a death trap on Saturday night. At 7:40 p.m., under a relentless downpour, a massive surge of devotees crowded the exit gate near Sarada Park, turning the narrow passage into a lethal crush. The pandal, which had already been buzzing with 30,000 devotees, suddenly saw a wave of panic as the rain intensified.
Eyewitness Vinay Kumar, 32, told ANI that the police had deployed a full contingent, yet the crowd—driven by the refusal to step out into the rain—pushed inwards until the gate could no longer hold them. The chaos culminated in 19 bodies found at the scene, while dozens more were rushed to the Medical College Hospital. Sonu Pal recounted, "I was trapped under a wave of bodies; I only managed to reach my mother, and she was already gone."
Kolkata Police immediately closed the pandal and dispatched fire engines and medics to the site. Eight injured patients were air‑lifted to the adjoining medical college, while the rest were treated on the spot. The police also began gathering CCTV footage from the surrounding streets to piece together the sequence of the crowd surge.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that a Special Investigation Team, chaired by a sitting Calcutta High Court judge, would probe the incident. The SIT will comprise officers from the STF, CID, and other departments, aiming to pinpoint lapses in crowd control and emergency response. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking from New Delhi, pledged ₹2 lakh ex‑gratia to each family of the deceased and ₹50,000 to the injured.
Home Minister Amit Shah is slated to visit the wounded on Sunday, and the SIT is expected to submit its preliminary report by the end of next week. In the meantime, the city has intensified crowd management protocols for the remaining days of the festival, and authorities are reviewing the event’s safety guidelines.