What began as a rain shower turned into one of the darkest nights in years for Kolkata’s beloved autumn festival. At least 19 people were killed and about 25 hurt on Saturday evening when a crowd surged towards the exit of a Durga Puja pavilion in Chorbagan, in the north of the city.
Police put the crush at around 7:40 pm on Maha Saptami, one of the busiest evenings of the celebrations. Heavy rain had driven large numbers of visitors to take cover inside the temporary structure, whose artistic theme “Arava” (“Beyond Sound”) had made it a crowd magnet all week. Early accounts suggest that a loudspeaker announcement warned the pavilion might collapse, and that whistles blown by private guards made the fear worse. Within moments people were pushing towards a single gate, which gave way under the pressure.
Most of the victims were women; a child was among the dead, and one injured person was still in critical condition on Sunday. Suvendu Adhikari, who heads the state government, conceded there had been “some shortcomings” on the organisers’ side and vowed to punish whoever had let the situation get out of hand.
Investigators are studying CCTV footage and questioning twelve detained people, among them organisers and volunteers. He has also asked for a serving High Court judge to supervise the inquiry. The state has pledged 2.5 million rupees and a government job to every bereaved family, plus 500,000 rupees for each person injured.
The tragedy is also forcing a rethink across the city’s roughly 3,500 pavilions. Several major venues were told to shut temporarily, and a senior panel of disaster, fire and police officials will inspect the largest ones, pushing for wider exits, brighter lighting and fewer rope barriers that create bottlenecks. Where elaborate designs block the flow of visitors, rituals may be shown on outdoor screens instead. With the festival running until Wednesday, authorities fear even bigger crowds on the coming nights.
