India, Oct. 18 -- Sonu Ojha, a resident of Kolkata's Chorebagan area, was chatting with two of his friends at a tea stall on Amar Basu Sarani and watching the crowd move towards the entrance of the puja pandal moments before the stampede. It was drizzling, with occasional spells of moderate rain.

"We could feel that something wasn't right. The people were anxious and getting restless to take shelter under some shade as most of them weren't carrying umbrellas. Then we heard that a stampede has started near the exit on Bhuban Banerjee Lane. All three of us rushed to the spot and what we saw was hell," said Ojha, 37, a tv-mechanic who has closed his shop for the puja.

People were still rushing out of the pandal. While some were lying on th...