My wife and I arrived in Kolkata from Chakdah at around 1 pm and headed straight to Santosh Mitra Square. The crowd management there was decent, and people were being regulated properly.
My wife wanted to visit the Chorbagan pandal because she had seen its interiors in several reels. I told her that it would be very crowded and suggested that we skip it and head to Kumartuli Park instead. But she insisted, and I couldn’t say no to her.
When we reached Chorbagan, the place was packed. The crowd had spilled over on to Central Avenue. We stood in the ill- managed queue and waited for our turn. Then it suddenly started raining, and I grew worried. The crowd kept swelling with every passing minute, but the arrangements seemed inadequate.
Suddenly, people started rushing towards the pandal. As it began to
rain, the volunteers removed the barricades and allowed people to enter, apparently fearing that visitors might leave. We did not even have to make our way inside on our own. We were pushed and dragged in by the crowd.
It was completely dark inside the pandal, and it was packed with people.
We could barely breathe. Suddenly, people started pushing from behind, and within seconds, there was a stampede. I fell to the ground and got separated from my wife.
For the next few minutes, I have no clear recollection of what happened. People were shouting and screaming. I kept calling out to my wife, but there was no response. I was kicked and pushed around by people desperately trying to get out.
Once I managed to get back on my feet, I started frantically searching for Arati. People were lying on the ground, while their companions cried and screamed for help. But I could not see any volunteers, police personnel or organisers coming forward to help us.
After a few minutes, I spotted my wife lying on the ground, motionless. I took her in my arms and cried out for help. There was no ambulance available to take her to the hospital. I did not know whether she was alive or dead.
It took more than an hour for an ambulance to be arranged to take her to the hospital. When we reached there, the doctors told me that she had been brought dead.
Now, they are not even allowing me inside to see her. We have been told to report to the police station in the morning.
When we left home, we were happy and excited about spending time together in Kolkata. We had planned to enjoy the pujas, visit pandals and have dinner together. Little did I know that this would be my last puja with my wife.
(Sarkar, husband of victim Arati Sarkar, spoke to Zeeshan Jawed)