Former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly participated in the Maha Ashtami Aarti and offered prayers to Goddess Durga in Behala on Monday, marking the Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami observances in Kolkata, West Bengal.Speaking to reporters, Ganguly highlighted the significance of Maha Ashtami for Bengalis as part of the Durga Puja festivities. “It’s the time of Durga Puja, Maha Ashtami. It is a big puja occasion for the Bengalis, for us. So today is the day of Ashtami; the puja has just happened,” he said.The city experienced tragedy on Saturday when a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal resulted in 19 deaths and left at least 25 people injured. Ganguly described the incident as “very tragic” and “very unfortunate,” urging visitors to exercise caution when visiting pandals during large crowds and to ensure their safe return after prayers.“Very tragic, very tragic, you people saw it. So many people have died; it’s very, very unfortunate. You have to travel carefully; it’s so crowded. Durga Puja, so many pandals and so many people. So you have to travel carefully; you have to go see the idols and come back carefully,” he said.Meanwhile, West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh stated on Sunday that the government, alongside Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and police officials, is maintaining a vigilant watch to prevent any recurrence of the Chorbagan tragedy. Speaking about the measures in place, Ghosh said, “The Chief Minister, along with other ministers and police officials, is keeping a close watch on the various religious observances to ensure that no such incident recurs.”
Sourav Ganguly offers prayers on Maha Ashtami, urges caution after Chorbagan stampede
