The death of 19 people in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata has raised serious questions about crowd management and whether adequate arrangements were in place to handle the massive turnout.
This year, those safeguards appear to have failed. Several people connected with the puja believe that, apart from the organisers, there may also have been lapses on the part of the police. At the time, police quickly altered the entry route to the pandal to ease congestion and prevent the situation from escalating. With celebrations taking place in nearly every neighbourhood across the state, crowd management requires extensive planning and close coordination between police and organisers. The incident at Chorbagan has renewed scrutiny of whether those mechanisms functioned effectively in this case. In our own neighborhood, we also organise the Puja in a very limited space. Those who organize large-scale theme-based Pujas are always advised to secure ample space and make appropriate arrangements. The police also play a significant role in this regard.”
They pointed to a similar situation in 2018, when heavy crowds descended on Chorbagan soon after the inaugural ceremony, compounded by rainfall. To ensure that no untoward incidents occur, we have never opted for a ‘theme-based’ Puja, even though we have been celebrating it for the past 75 years.
Arnab Ghosh, secretary of the Dujo committee, said, “What happened at Chorbagan is unfortunate.
However, prompt intervention by the police had previously helped bring the situation under control and avert any major mishaps. For this reason, Kolkata Police traditionally holds meetings with puja committees about a month before the festival to discuss safety measures, crowd-control plans and logistical arrangements.
