At least 19 persons, including women and children, were killed and 25 injured in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said.
The stampede occurred at around 7.40 pm as crowds gathered at the pandal during rainfall, ANI quoted the Kolkata Police as saying.
The rain prompted people waiting outside the pandal to rush inside for shelter. An announcement warning that the pandal might collapse if the crowd was not brought under control reportedly added to the confusion and triggered a sudden rush, according to The Indian Express.
The injured were taken to Kolkata Medical College and Hospital and other hospitals for treatment.
Never in our bloodline we have seen a stampede in #DurgaPuja & people dying! pic.twitter.com/ve4cMWTLVY
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) October 17, 2026
The police have detained 12 persons including members of the organising committee, private security personnel and volunteers, for questioning, The Indian Express reported.
Adhikari said surveillance camera footage would be examined and those found responsible for failures in crowd control would face action, ANI reported.
He also said the government would seek the appointment of a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court to oversee a special investigation team probe.
The pandal has since been closed to visitors, and the site was handed over to investigators and forensic teams, the chief...