Kolkata Durga Puja stampede kills 19; seven arrested

At least 19 people died and 25 were injured in a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, during Maha Saptami. Police said on Sunday that inadequate crowd management and confusing announcements following a sudden downpour may have triggered panic among visitors.

Kolkata Police have arrested seven people, including members of the Durga Puja organising committee, in connection with the incident. A suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has also been registered.

Police had detained 14 people on Saturday night as part of the investigation.

A senior police officer said on Sunday that circumstantial evidence, along with accounts from local residents and eyewitnesses, suggested that inadequate crowd control had contributed to the stampede. The number of police personnel and private security guards deployed at the venue was also inadequate, worsening the situation.

According to a police officer, the crowd waiting outside the pandal rushed forward as it started raining. Some people fell on the road, triggering the stampede.

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Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, where the injured were taken. He said one of the 25 injured was in “critical” condition.

Explaining the circumstances surrounding the incident, Adhikari said an announcement by the organisers of the community Durga Puja at Chorebagan in north Kolkata had triggered a rush among revellers, leading to the “painful incident”. He said a probe would be initiated into the tragedy.

Adhikari added that officials of the Chorebagan Durga Puja organising club, private security guards and officials on duty had been detained.

Six of the deceased had been identified by the time of his statement, and arrangements were being made to bring their family members to the hospital.

“Fact-finding will be done, and steps will be taken,” the chief minister said.

Following the incident, the administration advised several theme pujas that attract large crowds to temporarily close their pandals. Kolkata has nearly 3,500 pandals for Durga Puja celebrations.

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several other leaders expressed condolences over the deaths.

“The news of the deaths of people in a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata is extremely sad. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of those who have been injured,” the President said in a post on X in Hindi.

Modi described the stampede as “extremely distressing” and announced ex gratia payments of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased person and Rs 50,000 for each injured person.

“The stampede in Kolkata is extremely distressing. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest,” Modi said in a post on X.

The stampede in Kolkata is saddening. Condolences to the bereaved families. Wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

The West Bengal Government is providing all possible help to the affected families.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2026

The prime minister said the local administration was providing all possible assistance to those affected.

Shah, who arrived in Kolkata in the evening and was scheduled to visit puja pandals on Sunday, said he was postponing his scheduled programmes following the stampede. He said he would visit those injured in the incident.

Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she was deeply shocked by the stampede-like situation at the Chorbagan puja pandal.

“Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the stampede at the Chorbagan puja pandal. I pray to Maa Durga for the speedy recovery of all those injured and for strength and courage for their families during this difficult time,” she said.

State Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal also visited the state-run hospital.

West Bengal Governor RN Ravi said, “Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives in the stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families in this hour of grief. Praying for the swift recovery of the injured.”

West Bengal Health Minister Saradwat Mukherjee and senior officials also rushed to the hospital.

Disaster management personnel have been deployed at the site, an officer said.

The state government has also launched a toll-free helpline for information related to the stampede.