Bengal's first ever Saptami of contrasts: Bulldozers at bookstalls, tragedy at Chorbagan

For Bengal, Saptami usually marks the beginning of the busiest stretch of the Durga Puja. The streets fill with visitors, pandals draw enormous crowds, and the city celebrates late into the night. But on 17 October, the festival took a tragic turn. In north Kolkata, a stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal killed 19 people and injured 25 others. Meanwhile, in Jadavpur, a JCB earthmover was to remove CPI(M) bookstalls, but faced resistance from CPI(M) workers and supporters.

The two incidents were separate, but together they presented a striking picture of a festival marked by political confrontation and a devastating public safety crisis.

Bulldozer at a bookstall

On Saturday evening, tension erupted around the Jadavpur University campus, after a JCB earthmover was to remove CPI(M) bookstalls near the 8B bus stand. The machine had been sent by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation,s solid waste management department, following a dispute over permissions.

A civic official told The Times of India that the police had informed the corporation that the necessary police permission had not been obtained. The official said permission from the police was a condition for allowing the stalls.

CPI(M) representatives disputed the authorities' position. Party state committee member Sudip Sengupta told The Telegraph that the party had obtained permission from the Kolkata Police, the corporation and for electricity use. The party also said the attempt to remove stalls that had been operating with the necessary approvals was questioned.

The proposed demolition was halted, after resistance from those present at the site. The controversy also followed the reported demolition of a bookstall in Dhakuria earlier that day.

The dispute was part of a wider controversy over Left parties' traditional Durga Puja bookstalls and of controversy surrounding their use of the term Sharodotsav instead of Durga Puja.

The immediate question was whether the stalls had complied with the relevant permission requirements. But the incident was also a question about political expression and the use of civic authority in the context of Bengal's biggest cultural festival.

Chorbagan: When celebration turned into tragedy

At around 7.30 pm on Saturday, the situation in north Kolkata took a turn for the worst.

A sudden downpour triggered a rush of visitors to the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal. According to initial reports, people waiting out had surged towards the event for shelter, while the flow of crowd movement around the entrance and exit became increasingly difficult.

The crush killed 19 people and injured 25 others, according to figures reported on Sunday, the 18th of October. The injured were taken to hospitals for treatment.

The circumstances surrounding the tragedy are under investigation. However, police say there are several possible contributing factors, including inadequate crowd management, narrow entrance and exit gates, a narrow approach road and confusing announcements regarding crowd movement.

One particularly significant area of investigation is a loudspeaker announcement warning of the possibility of the pandal collapsing. Police said they were looking into video footage of the announcement and attempting to establish who made it and what was the reason. Whether it directly triggered the rush is a matter for investigators to establish.

The incident highlighted the risks that can arise from the lack of effective arrangements for movement and emergencies.

A festival's identity meets a safety crisis

Durga Puja is much more than a religious celebration in Bengal. It is an expression of the state's cultural identity, artistic traditions and public life. Political bookstalls, elaborate pandals and neighbourly celebrations have long been part of the larger festival landscape.

That makes the contrast between the day's two incidents particularly striking.

In Jadavpur, civic and police actions over a permission dispute brought an earthmover to a political bookstall, whereas, in Chorbagan, a crush of a crowd of people resulted in the deaths of 19 and prompted scrutiny of safety arrangements and crowd management.

The incidents should not be treated as proof that one caused the other or established a deliberate difference in administrative priorities. They raise separate questions: whether public authorities apply rules transparently and whether organisers and officials do enough to protect people attending major public gatherings.

The Chorbagan tragedy requires particular attention because of the irreversibility of its consequences. A festival that brings millions together requires more than elaborate decorations and large-scale planning. It requires clear communication, safe entry and exit routes, sufficient trained personnel and effective emergency arrangements.

Seven arrested as investigation begins

By Sunday, Kolkata Police had arrested seven people in connection to the stampede, including members of the committee and those associated with construction, crowd management and private security. Fourteen people had initially been detained for questioning, according to reports. The arrests do not establish guilt; rather, a determination of responsibility is to be determined by the legal process.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced compensation of ₹25 lakh and a Group D government job for every member of each deceased's family. The state also announced ₹5 lakh for each injured person and coverage of their medical expenses. Separately, the Prime Minister announced ex-gratia assistance of ₹2 lakh for each deceased's next of kin and ₹50,000 for each injured person.

The state government also announced a Special Investigation Team, headed by a sitting Calcutta High Court judge. The police said CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts would be examined, as part of the investigation. The announcement of the inquiry should not be confused with a completed investigation or a final determination for responsibility.

Authorities also advised several major puja organisers to temporarily suspend public entry while the arrangements were to be reviewed.

The Saptami Bengal will remember

The events of 17 October brought two distinct kinds of public anxiety to the fore: a dispute over political bookstalls and a tragedy that exposed the potentially devastating consequences from crowd-management failures.

The bulldozer controversy raises questions over permissions and political expression and the exercise of civic power. The Chorbagan stampede demands answers over public safety and emergency communication and accountability.

For the families who lost loved ones, compensation cannot undo the loss. However, for Bengal, the immediate task is to establish what happened at Chorbagan and ensure that the lessons are not forgotten once the festival ends.

Saptami is to herald celebration. This year, it also delivered a stark reminder that the success of a public festival must be measured not only by its grandeur but by whether everyone can return home safe.