What was intended to be a joyful festive outing for families visiting from across West Bengal and neighboring Bihar turned into a catastrophic disaster on Saturday evening when a deadly stampede erupted at the Chorebagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata. The tragedy claimed the lives of 19 people, consisting of 13 females and six males, including four children. At least 25 others sustained injuries in the crush.
Among the victims was 17-year-old Akriti Kumari, who was visiting Kolkata for the very first time. Her cousin, Sukriti Raut, recounted how the crowd surge overwhelmed them as they attempted to exit the heavily crowded, award-winning pandal. Sukriti described holding Akriti's hand as mounting pressure made it impossible to move, leading to her cousin falling amidst the chaos and ultimately perishing while Sukriti was pulled to safety.
Another family devastated by the incident was the Bhej family from East Burdwan district. Fourteen-year-old Sandip Bhej had traveled to Kolkata with his mother, Tagar Bhej, and his elder sister, Agamoni, to tour the city's festive displays. While Agamoni survived, both Sandip and his 37-year-old mother, along with their 25-year-old relative Piyali Pramanik, lost their lives in the crush.
Relatives of the victims voiced profound shock and sorrow over the sudden turn of events. Family members of the Srivastava household from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, who were staying with relatives for pandal-hopping, lost 38-year-old Abhishek Kumar Srivastava and his young son, Ayansh, after they left for Chorebagan. Although Abhishek's wife and another relative managed to return home with minor injuries, the family was left completely shattered by the loss.
Binod Halder also shared his grief after allowing his 17-year-old daughter, Barnali, to go out for a few hours of pandal-hopping with her friends. Barnali and her childhood friend, 18-year-old Tania Biswas, both from Gouranganagar, were among those killed. Binod rushed to the location after receiving a frantic phone call, only to discover his daughter's body lying on the street alongside other victims of the disaster.