Kolkata Durga Puja Stampede: Families Mourn Victims, Demand Accountability

A night of Durga Puja celebrations turned tragic after a stampede at Kolkata’s Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal. Among the victims were 17-year-old Akriti Kumari, 27-year-old nurse Sreeparna Poddar and 64-year-old Vikas Bhattacharya. Their families are now mourning their loved ones and raising questions about crowd management, safety arrangements and the circumstances that led to the tragedy. Relatives have alleged that inadequate entry and exit routes, poor lighting and overcrowding may have contributed to the incident. As grieving families seek an impartial probe and accountability, the tragedy has left Kolkata confronting painful questions about public safety during large religious gatherings.