Following a tragic stampede that claimed 19 lives and injured 25 others at a Kolkata pandal on Saturday, police and an umbrella organization representing roughly 400 organizing committees have introduced fresh crowd management guidelines for Durga Puja celebrations.
The disaster occurred at the Chor Bagan venue in cramped north Kolkata on Saptami, the seventh day of the festival, when heavy rain and surging crowds collided as visitors jostled through a narrow bylane onto slippery streets.
In response, the Forum for Durgotsab has instructed organizers to equip every pandal with at least 10 raincoats and walkie-talkies. The guidelines also require regular announcements inside pandals to warn visitors against filming videos or taking selfies.
Organizers have additionally been directed to ensure that at least one ambulance remains stationed in each zone to serve as a first responder during emergencies. Forum member Saswata Basu noted that these measures were finalized following a Sunday meeting with prominent puja organizers.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari held meetings with top police officers and bureaucrats on Sunday, stating that crowd numbers will be restricted if necessary and that VIP queues will be eliminated. A joint committee of police and fire department officials was also formed to review security at major Kolkata pujas and recommend immediate safety adjustments.
Local police officers and assistant commissioners have been ordered to inspect high-footfall pandals to guarantee that all entrance and exit paths remain unblocked. Under the updated protocols, individuals seeking shelter from rain will not be permitted to crowd the interior, pandal interiors must remain well-lit, VIP vehicles are barred from approaching the sites, and police will closely monitor public address system announcements.
Investigators noted that slow-moving crowds taking selfies and making videos contributed to heavy congestion. The preliminary probe into the Chor Bagan incident indicated that a massive crowd had gathered on Saptami evening when rain began to fall. People already inside refused to exit, while additional visitors attempted to push in through both entry and exit points.
A police officer explained that panic escalated when organizers announced the pandal might collapse and urged people to leave, accompanied by volunteers blowing whistles. Furthermore, allegations surfaced that police personnel abandoned their posts during the rain to avoid getting wet, forcing bystanders to book ride-hailing cabs to transport victims to hospitals. In response, authorities have explicitly instructed officers that they must remain at their posts during bad weather to manage crowds.