How do you explain to a child that a festival they love can suddenly become dangerous?” A mother's first-person account of the Chorbagan Durga Puja tragedy
Chorbagan Stampede, Durga Puja: Sampurna, 30, from Belur, Howrah, recounts leaving a crowded Durga Puja pandal with her two young children after noticing poor crowd management. The Chorbagan tragedy raises urgent questions about public safety and the lasting fear such incidents leave behind.
I went pandal hopping with my two children, aged seven and five, in the early evening. There was a sizeable crowd, and although I did not witness the stampede myself, the poor crowd management was enough to make me realise that it was not safe for my children. We decided to leave and head home early.
But what happened at Chorbagan is horrific.
People should not have to fear for their lives while celebrating a festival. Families should not have to worry about whether they will return home safely. There should be proper crowd control, and people should not be allowed to enter a pandal until those already inside have exited. This is basic safety.
I have seen elderly couples going pandal hopping, holding on to each other and enjoying the festival. That is the beauty of Durga Puja. It belongs to everyone.
As a mother, I cannot stop thinking about what could have happened to the children caught in those crowds. How do you explain to a child that a festival they love can suddenly become dangerous? How do you go pandal hopping next year without remembering this?
