Kolkata: The emergency department of Calcutta Medical College and Hospital was gripped by chaos and grief as stampede victims started being rushed in around 8 pm. As hospital staffers hurried the injured inside, anxious family members crowded outside and police turned the emergency department and adjoining areas into a fortress.Victims continued to be brought to the hospital till 10 pm. With access to the emergency department restricted, family members struggled to find out the condition of their relatives. Many were angry at the lack of arrangements and claimed several victims were brought to the hospital in cabs and private cars.For Rajarhat resident Rupa Biswas, the evening had begun like any other festival day. Her 18-year-old daughter, Tania, was out pandal-hopping with her friends. At around 8.30 pm, Rupa received a call from one of them that Tania was at the hospital and doctors had declared her dead. “I could not believe what I heard. She had left in the afternoon. She told me she would be late and I should not wait for her. How would I know she would never return. She was my only daughter. What will I do without her,” wailed the devastated mother. Tania’s friends said during the stampede, several people fell on top of her. When her friends finally found her, she was motionless.Kankurgachi resident Suman Sonkar, 21, was among those dead. Her elder sister, Shreya, said the family received the news at the hospital. “We don’t know what happened. When we reached the hospital, doctors told us she was no more. People are saying total mismanagement at Chorbagan led to the stampede. People were lying around but there were no volunteers, organisers or police to ferry them to the hospital. Many people died because they did not receive medical care on time,” said Shreya. Priya Samaddar, 20, from Madhyamgram was out pandal-hopping with a friend. Her father, Shyamal Samaddar, was inconsolable at the hospital after being told of her death. “She came with her friend. They visited many pandals before going to Chorebagan. Her friend called me up at 8.30 and gave me the news. I rushed to the hospital, but they are not allowing me to see my daughter. I will never forgive those who are responsible for her death,” he said.As families struggled to process their losses, others continued to search for relatives whose whereabouts remained unknown. Tupun Roy, a resident of Santoshpur, said his brother-in-law had gone to Chorebagan with friends and was not responding to calls. “He had said he would be going to Chorebagan with his friends. We are calling him but there is no response. The cops are asking us to wait. This is inhuman and insensitive,” said Tupun.Outside the hospital, police personnel and vehicles lined the area as senior ministers, BJP functionaries and police officials arrived in convoys. Several angry relatives tried to approach the visiting officials but were stopped by the police.The tragedy also brought to a sudden end the festive bustle on College Street, which is usually teeming with revellers on a Saptami evening. People were seen leaving the area as police urged them to disperse as soon as possible. The public-address system, which usually played shehnai and other Puja songs, had fallen silent. Only the wail of ambulance sirens could be heard as the injured were brought to the hospital and families waited for news of those they feared they might never see again.
