# Did BJP prioritise spectacle over safety at stampede puja?

> Mamata's party questions why Chorbagan puja won safety awards after a stampede killed 19 people.
- Title: Did BJP prioritise spectacle over safety at stampede puja?
- Summary: Mamata's party questions why Chorbagan puja won safety awards after a stampede killed 19 people. Trinamool Congress challenged the awarding of Best of the…
- Keywords: mamata banerjee, trinamool congress, chorbagan sarbojonin, durga puja stampede, kolkata, west bengal, suvendu adhikari, news, politics, Did, BJP, prioritise
- Source: The Hindu — https://thehindu.com/news/national/west-bengal/mamatas-party-asks-if-bjp-government-put-spectacle-over-safety-in-awarding-chorbagan-puja/article71602218.ece
- Author: PTI
- Published: 2026-10-19T06:54:02+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: mamata banerjee, trinamool congress, chorbagan sarbojonin, durga puja stampede, kolkata, west bengal, suvendu adhikari, news, politics
## Stampede kills 19 at Chorbagan puja
A stampede at Chorbagan Sarbojonin Durga Puja on Saturday, October seventeenth, twenty twenty-six killed 19 people and injured 25 others during Saptami celebrations.
## Puja awarded Best of the Best
The Information and Cultural Affairs Department and Kolkata Municipal Corporation awarded Chorbagan Sarbojonin the Serar Sera-3, or Best of the Best, Devi Durga Samman twenty twenty-six.
## Puja also won multiple other awards
Chorbagan Sarbojonin won awards for best lighting, best pandal and best environment-friendly puja alongside the Best of the Best recognition.
## Trinamool questions the contradiction
Mamata Trinamool Congress asked on Monday, October nineteenth, twenty twenty-six whether spectacle had been prioritised over public safety in awarding the puja.
## Party highlights CM's own criticism
The party noted Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari blamed the theme and low lighting for visitor problems, yet the same puja won awards for best lighting and best pandal.

> So, what exactly was being judged? Spectacle over safety? Awards over accountability.
## CM urges better safety measures
Chief Minister Adhikari urged puja organisers to ensure adequate lighting and sufficient entry and exit gates, saying many pandals are dimly lit in the name of theme puja.

> Many pandals are dimly lit in the name of theme puja.
## Safety review committee visits pandals
A high-level committee including Disaster Management Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, Fire Services Director General Anuj Sharma and STF Director General Jawed Shamim visited Kolkata pujas on Sunday, October eighteenth, twenty twenty-six.
## Key takeaway

Trinamool Congress challenged the awarding of Best of the Best Durga Puja to Chorbagan Sarbojonin after a stampede there killed 19 people on October seventeenth, twenty twenty-six.