Kolkata:
Narrow entry and exit gates, pouring rain, and crowds having swelled because it was a weekend were among the factors that contributed to the massive tragedy that claimed at least 18 lives at North Kolkata’s Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal on Saturday evening, witnesses and police said.
“My mother died right before my eyes; I too might not have survived,” said 25-year-old Sonu Pal, still in shock. Pal, a resident of Kumortuli, had gone to see the puja with his mother when a sudden downpour began.
“It was raining outside, and nobody wanted to step outside the pandal. People who were standing at the entrance to escape the rain kept pushing to get in,” he said.
Pal said the pressure soon became unbearable. “Everybody fell on one another,” he recounted to news agency PTI. He said he, too, was caught in the pile-up. “I somehow managed to steady myself and went to my mother, but she was no longer there,” Pal said.
“The entrance was very narrow, and the exit gate was also narrow. There was no lighting in the area,” a local man, whose daughter and granddaughter were among the injured, told news agency IANS. A part of the pandal reportedly collapsed amid the stampede, causing utter panic in the narrow streets in the area, another witness said.
Kolkata, West Bengal: Following reports of a stampede-like situation at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal, an eye witness says, “…The entrance was very narrow, and the exit gate was also narrow. There was no lighting in the area….My daughter and grand daughter is hospitalized…”
— IANS (@ians_india) October 17, 2026
“At the entrance, there was a 1.5-hour-long queue. Since it was raining, people were in a hurry to get in. The area was very narrow. It was dark. There was not a single light. Two people fell due to the darkness. There was a small girl and a boy. I also fell,” the man further said, speaking in Bengali.
“I somehow managed to get up. I was very scared. There were many people on top of the girl and the boy. In that situation, there were no police or volunteers. There was nothing,” he added.
Another witness told news agency ANI that many people lost consciousness during the stampede crush. Many were rushed to the hospital on motorcycles.
The narrow lane leading to the Chorebagan Durga Puja pandal. Photo: NDTV
“As it started raining, the crowd waiting outside the pandal rushed forward,” a senior police officer said.
“That’s when some of them fell on the road, leading to the stampede,” he added.
Police also issued a statement explaining the situation for now: “At around [7:40 pm], a stampede occurred at the exit gate of the Sarada Park (Chorebagan) Puja Pandal in the Girish Park Police Station area due to heavy crowds of pandal visitors during rain. All injured persons were rescued and taken to the hospital.”
#WATCH | North Kolkata, West Bengal | An eyewitness says, “Many people lost consciousness; some were being taken on motorcycles. I witnessed this happening all around—when people fainted, they were taken away on bikes. All of this took place, and there was a massive crowd as well…”
— ANI (@ANI) October 17, 2026
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal reached the hospital to take stock of the situation. Former Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock at the incident and wished the injured speedy recovery.
“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.
Chorebagan Sarbojanin is a neighbourhood puja or pujo (sarbojanin) in Chorebagan, Kolkata, part of the Hatibagan and Beadon Street area of North Kolkata. One of the older community pujas in central-north Kolkata, near the Ram Mandir on Muktaram Babu Street, it has been held annually for over 90 years.
State government helpline numbers: 1800-345-5678 and 033-22141310
