Opinion | Why 'Gloomination', Bad Planning And Rain Led To The Chorebagan Stampede

Prima facie, the sudden cloudburst sent the incoming crowd surging towards the pandal entrance to escape from the rain.

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Practically every tragedy happens only because something or someone fails to do what they are meant to. The stampede that killed 19 people and injured 25 in North Kolkata at the most joyous time of the year for Bengalis, reiterated this truism. Huge crowds are inevitable during Durga Puja in Kolkata. So are sudden thundershowers. Many of the oldest pujas are also held in endemically cramped spaces. Social media driving footfalls merely add to these worry factors.

Narrow access—which impedes crowd control as well as entry of emergency vehicles—inadequate exits for visitors, cramped internal passages, dark interiors, dim lighting and poorly trained volunteers are a recipe for disaster. None of these factors are new, though, so why did the stampede happen at Chorebagan during Durga Puja 2026? Fingers are now pointed in many directions, but the truth is, all of them as well as rainy weather combined to lead to this terrible tragedy.

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Durga Puja Chaos In Kolkata: Pandal Collapse Leaves More Than 40 Injured Amid Heavy Crowds | News18

Prima facie, the sudden cloudburst sent the incoming crowd surging towards the pandal entrance to escape from the rain. At the same time, those inside were also reluctant to exit at first as they did not want to get drenched either. That led to a push from the back which had a ripple effect around the spiral pathway inside, and toppled those in front. The passage was so narrow that there was no way to avoid or resist the momentum. Darkness only........

© News18