KOLKATA: At least 18 people died and 25 others were injured in a stampede at the Chorebagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on Saturday evening. The incident occurred around 7 pm amid heavy rain and lightning. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who rushed to Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, where the victims were taken, said one of the 25 injured was in critical condition. According to the Chief Minister, an announcement by the organisers of the community Durga Puja at Chorbagan, off Chittaranjan Avenue in north Kolkata, triggered a sudden rush among visitors, leading to the tragic incident.
Officials of the Chorebagan Durga Puja organising club, private security guards and officials on duty have been detained, he added. A senior police officer said that as rain began, people waiting outside the pandal rushed forward. Some fell onto the road, triggering the stampede. Adhikari and Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal visited the state-run hospital where the injured were admitted. The Chief Minister said six of the deceased had been identified so far and arrangements were being made to bring their family members to the hospital.
“Fact-finding will be done, and steps will be taken,” Adhikari said. Following the incident, the administration advised several popular theme-based Durga Puja organisers to temporarily close their pandals. Kolkata has nearly 3,500 pandals celebrating Durga Puja. The West Bengal government has also launched a toll-free helpline for information related to the incident. People can call 18003455678, the state government said.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several others expressed condolences over the tragedy. In a post on X in Hindi, President Murmu said the news of the deaths at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata was extremely sad. She expressed her deepest condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia payment of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of each deceased person. The injured will receive ₹50,000 each.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed condolences in a post on X. He said he had spoken to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari about the incident and prayed for the peace of the souls of those who lost their lives and for strength for their families. Shah has cancelled his scheduled programmes in West Bengal on Sunday in the wake of the stampede. He is expected to visit the hospital to meet the injured.
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was deeply shocked and saddened by the stampede at the Chorbagan Puja pandal. She prayed to Maa Durga for the speedy recovery of the injured and strength for their families. West Bengal Governor RN Ravi also expressed grief over the loss of lives and extended condolences to the bereaved families, while praying for the swift recovery of the injured.
