Blog: Kolkata Didn't Learn From 2015. Eleven Years Later, It Proved To Be Fatal

Updated: Oct 18, 2026 07:39 am IST Published On Oct 18, 2026 07:13 am IST Last Updated On Oct 18, 2026 07:39 am IST

Published On Oct 18, 2026 07:13 am IST

Last Updated On Oct 18, 2026 07:39 am IST

Flaws wait in silence until a tragedy strikes. And there were many at Kolkata's Chorbagan. At least 17 died in a stampede on a day that marked the formal initiation of Durga Pujo in the city. The blame can wait, many would say, as the focus remains on the recovery of dozens injured. Rightfully so, but Kolkata has waited a bit too long--so long that the tragedy couldn't wait any longer.

The City of Joy isn't a stranger to crowd control. Be it during Pujo or Christmas at Park Street, Eden Gardens cricket matches, or Derbies between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. But during Pujo, the entire city is on alert. A week of celebrations, barricades, and thousands of personnel and volunteers on the streets. And years of event-free crowd control had convinced Kolkata it could handle the crowd. Until one fateful evening, it couldn't.

October 18, 2015 was the fifth of the 10-day festivities. Even though the formal pujo usually begins two days later, popular pandals open their gates much earlier to an eager crowd. In Deshapriya Park in South Kolkata, a massive 88-foot-high Durga idol was erected in 2015. Promotional campaigns billed it as the world's tallest idol that year.

The frenzy hit and massive queues started forming outside the park that hosted the pandal. Being Sunday, the weekend rush added to it, and a stampede-like situation erupted........

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