At least 19 people have died and 25 others are receiving treatment after a stampede at a major Hindu festival in Kolkata, eastern India, prompting an investigation into possible failures in crowd control and safety measures.
The crush occurred on the night of 17 October during Durga Puja, an annual festival celebrating the goddess Durga, when worshippers gathered near a pavilion in West Bengal’s state capital. Police said the crowd rushed for cover as rain began to fall, causing some people to fall on the road and triggering the stampede.
West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari visited Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, where the victims were taken, and confirmed the death toll. He announced an investigation by a special investigation team to be headed by a judge of the state’s high court.
Police have detained several pavilion organisers, private security personnel and staff who were on duty as investigators examine whether inadequate crowd management or safety failures contributed to the disaster.
About 3,500 pavilions, known locally as pandals, have been erected across Kolkata for Durga Puja, one of the region’s biggest annual religious celebrations. Following the stampede, authorities advised several of the city’s most heavily attended venues to close temporarily.
Crowd crushes are a recurring danger at major religious gatherings in India, where enormous numbers of worshippers can converge on confined spaces with insufficient safety infrastructure or crowd-control arrangements.
In January 2025, at least 30 people were killed when tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims rushed to bathe in a sacred river during the Maha Kumbh festival, one of the world’s largest religious gatherings.
The investigation in Kolkata is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the latest disaster and whether measures to manage the festival crowds were adequate.