West Bengal: Eleven hurt in near-stampede at Durga Puja pandal

Police had to bar access of thousands of people to the tallest Durga idol (88 feet) in the city after a stampede-like situation at Deshapriya Park on Sunday evening.

Police had to bar access of thousands of people to the tallest Durga idol (88 feet) in the city after a stampede-like situation at Deshapriya Park on Sunday evening.

And that was not all. The police commissioner had to abandon his car and take a Metro to reach the spot. Till late at night, unconfirmed sources said at least 11 people were injured, including children.

Crowds had taken over the roads by Saturday night and major intersections witnessed bumper-to-bumper traffic jams. Largely, the crowd triggered the situation at Deshapriya Park. The police said they had barred entry to the Puja on a “temporary basis”. The rush at Metro stations was also unexpected. Most trains ran behind schedule and there was near-chaos at Kalighat station, near Deshapriya Park.