Kolkata’s idol immersions turned markedly subdued on Friday as puja committees dropped music, processions and public celebrations after the Chorebagan stampede, in which 19 people were killed. More than 200 immersions had been completed at over 25 Hooghly ghats by late evening, while police and civic authorities changed traffic and crowd-management arrangements to control congestion and protect visitors.
Several committees, including some of the city’s larger puja organisers, completed immersions ahead of the state’s Saturday deadline. The processions were delayed in some cases by low tide and the manual transfer of idols from trucks to trolleys before they could be taken to the river. Organisers said the stampede had left them deeply shaken and influenced their decision to keep the final ceremonies simple.
“There were no band players, no processions and no ensemble. The dhakis who played at our pandal were on the truck along with a handful of committee members,” Kajal Sarkar of the Bosepukur Sitala Mandir puja committee said. The committee completed its immersion by late afternoon in about an hour.
Mohammad Ali Park in central Kolkata also opted for a silent immersion on Friday evening. “This was a way to respect the departed in the Chorebagan incident,” said Surendra Kumar Sharma, the committee’s general secretary.
Kolkata Police created four lanes on Eden Gardens Road for vehicles travelling towards the immersion ghats. Two lanes were assigned to vehicles heading to Baje Kadamtala ghat, another to Gwalior ghat, while the fourth was kept open for emergency movement. Police said the arrangement was intended to prevent congestion and help organisers identify the routes to their designated destinations.
Vehicles carrying idols were instructed to wait until the structures were unloaded near the appropriate ghats before leaving. Only a small number of committee members accompanying each idol were allowed to proceed for the final immersion. The transfer from trucks to trolleys, followed by manual movement towards the river, remained a time-consuming part of the operation.
“Late in the evening, there was a huge rush at both Gwalior and Baje Kadamtala ghats,” a senior member of a central Kolkata puja committee said. The rush increased as more organisers arrived during the evening, even though turnout at the ghats had been subdued on Thursday.
Low tide further affected the schedule. Around 7.30pm, several committees were asked to delay their arrival to prevent long waits and congestion, a senior police officer overseeing the immersions said. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation deployed labourers to accelerate the movement of idols from trucks to the ghats, while puja committees arranged additional workers of their own.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nand said committees arriving for visarjan brought their own labourers and coordinated with workers waiting at the ghats. “That is how it works,” Nand said, adding that the police role was to maintain law and order.
Police strengthened deployment as turnout peaked on Friday, including by bringing in personnel from the National Disaster Response Force. Officials said Saturday’s immersion schedule was expected to involve only a small number of committees. “There have been no deaths due to drowning, and we want to keep it that way,” a senior police officer said.
