In Kolkata tragedy, a difficult reckoning

Chorbagan is a reminder that preparedness must extend beyond formal safeguards to the less predictable dangers of congestion, sudden panic and restricted movement

Better preparedness can at least ensure that the memory of Chorbagan becomes a reason for greater vigilance and care.

3 min readOct 19, 2026 06:15 AM IST First published on: Oct 19, 2026 at 06:15 AM IST

Every Durga Puja, Kolkata shows up at its most encompassing and generous, stepping out of daily drudgery to celebrate faith, art, and the joy of communal celebration. The tragedy at Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja in north Kolkata, where a crowd surge on a rain-soaked evening claimed at least 19 lives and injured at least 25 others, has cast a tragic shadow over this annual ritual. Preliminary accounts suggest that a sudden downpour, narrow lanes, inadequate presence of police and civic volunteers, dim lighting inside the pandal and a poorly-worded announcement that triggered panic turned a festive gathering into a catastrophe. The details await a thorough investigation. But for the families who went pandal-hopping and returned without their loved ones, the festival has been broken into a before and an after — a celebration interrupted by the sudden, senseless extinguishing of cherished lives.

Grief must, in time, give way to a difficult reckoning. Kolkata is no stranger to the challenges of managing the immense crowds that the festival attracts, and this year’s safety guidelines included fire-retardant fabrics, accessible firefighting equipment, separate entry and exit gates, and unobstructed access for emergency vehicles. Yet Chorbagan is a reminder that preparedness must extend beyond formal safeguards to the less predictable dangers of congestion, sudden panic and restricted movement. North Kolkata’s narrow, heritage lanes are integral to its character, but leave little room for error when thousands converge on a single pandal. In 2015, at the opposite end of the city, in Deshapriya Park, for instance, an 88-ft Durga idol, supposedly the world’s tallest, had drawn overwhelming crowds, creating a near-stampede-like situation. Immediate police intervention had stopped public access to the venue, averting a potential tragedy. In 2021, a similar tragedy had been averted at Sreebhumi Sporting Club, where a replica of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa had drawn large crowds. Such episodes underscore the need for swift, decisive action when unforeseen circumstances threaten to overtake crowd-control measures.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, arrests have been made, the state has announced a committee to review crowd management and structural safety at major venues. Police have restricted access to several prominent pandals as a precaution and the Centre has announced compensation for bereaved families. These are necessary steps. But the broader lesson of the tragedy is that organisers and officials must plan not only for the expected, but also for moments when ordinary arrangements break down. This year’s celebrations will leave behind an absence in homes where the festival should have brought joy. Nothing can undo that loss. Better preparedness can at least ensure that the memory of Chorbagan becomes a reason for greater vigilance and care.