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Visitor guide · Emergency

Emergency numbers

Save this page before you go out. Every number below is one tap to call from a phone. If you are not sure which to use, call 112: it reaches police, fire and ambulance from anywhere in India.

Emergency number

Any emergency

112

India’s single emergency number. Police, fire and ambulance, from any phone, at any hour.

Tap to call

17 numbers

Every helpline, one tap away.

Emergencies

Police and safety

Hospitals with a 24-hour emergency department

Travel and tourist help

National short codes work from any Indian mobile. Local numbers were checked against official sources in October 2026. If a number has changed, call 112.

Staying safe

Before you join the crowd.

Most Pujo nights pass without trouble. These habits make sure yours does, and help if it does not.

Agree a meeting point

Phone networks jam in big crowds. At every pandal, pick a spot to meet if you lose each other, such as a gate, a shop sign or a lamp post, before you join the queue.

Put a number in every child’s pocket

Write a parent’s phone number on a card and put it somewhere a volunteer or police officer will find it. Show children what a police uniform looks like and tell them to stand still and wait.

Look for the police booths

Kolkata Police set up assistance booths near the large pandals and on the main roads through Pujo. They handle lost children, lost property and medical help, and they know the road closures.

Keep valuables in front

Pickpockets work the densest crowds. Carry your phone and wallet in a front pocket or a zipped bag, and keep a little cash separately in case you lose the rest.

Pace yourself

October in Kolkata is still hot and humid. Carry water, wear shoes you can walk in for hours, and step out of a crush if you feel faint. If you have asthma or a heart condition, avoid peak hours on Ashtami.

If you lose your phone

Block the handset through the government’s Sanchar Saathi portal so it cannot be used, ask your operator to suspend the SIM, and file a report at the nearest police station.

Share your location with your group Block a lost phone on Sanchar Saathi

More from the guide.

Navigating Kolkata

All five metro lines on one map, the pandals near each station, and the suburban trains that reach the rest.

Where to stay

Hotels by neighbourhood and budget, with the nearest metro, the pandals within walking distance and a number to call.

Food trail

The biryani houses, roll counters, sweet shops and Bengali kitchens worth a detour, and the one dish to order at each.

Etiquette

What to wear, where shoes come off, how to offer pushpanjali, and how to queue without annoying anyone.

Puja 2026 schedule

Every date and tithi timing, with Sandhi Puja to the minute.

Pandal-hopping routes

Ready-made routes that group pandals you can walk between.