Eyewitnesses Recount Horror, Say Crowd Mismanagement, Sudden Rain Led To Kolkata Stampede

(MENAFN- IANS) Kolkata, Oct 18 (IANS) Although the state government has not officially cited any reasons for the stampede in the Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal, which killed 19 people, eyewitnesses said that utter crowd mismanagement, coupled with sudden rain, were the reasons for the mishap.

Sonu Pal, a resident of Kumortuli, said that he went to see the idol at Chorebagan with his mother on the evening of Saptami. According to Sonu, "It was raining outside. No one wanted to come out of the pandal. Meanwhile, the visitors standing at the entrance to escape the rain kept pushing to enter."

He said that this led to the accident. According to him, "Unable to handle the pressure, everyone inside the mandap fell on each other. I myself was also crushed. Somehow, I saved myself."

Some eyewitnesses alleged that the announcements regarding entry and exit and crowd control at the pavilion were not proper. This caused confusion among the people who came to see the pandal. As a result, the accident occurred.

Locals alleged that there were not enough police personnel at the pavilion. There were only police at the VIP gate. Locals alleged that there was no administrative help in taking the injured to the hospital.

Videos shared by some X-handles showed a crowd of people outside the Chorebagan puja mandap. Suddenly, there were sounds of screaming and crying. Several people were lying on the ground, and some were unconscious. A crowd gathered around them, while many were running in panic in the rain. A few people were seen being dragged out of the pandal by their feet and being carried away.

According to another eyewitness, on the evening of Saptami, heavy rain started in north and central Kolkata. There was a heavy traffic jam on the roads, and at the same time, a rush inside the mandap in Chorebagan broke out. The eyewitness said that many people standing in queues tried to enter the mandap to escape the rain. They started pushing each other. As a result, several people fell on the circular path inside the mandap. A situation like being trampled was thus created. In that incident, 19 people died while 25 were injured.

The police on Sunday arrested seven people, including organisers, in connection with the stampede.

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