Dubai: A warning that a Durga Puja pandal was about to collapse may have triggered panic that left at least 19 people dead in Kolkata on Saturday evening, as investigators examine whether misleading announcements, heavy rain and serious crowd-management failures contributed to the tragedy.
Police are analysing video footage in which an announcer can allegedly be heard urging visitors to leave the crowded Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal because the structure was about to collapse.
“We are trying to identify who made the announcement and what prompted it,” a senior police officer told PTI.
The stampede occurred around 7.40pm as thousands of devotees gathered at the popular North Kolkata venue during Saptami, one of the most important days of the Durga Puja festival.
Thirteen women and two minors were among those killed. At least 25 were injured, including three admitted to intensive care.
Conflicting crowd movements
Videos circulating on social media appear to show the confusion that preceded the disaster.
In one recording, an announcer repeatedly urges people inside the pandal to leave and warns those waiting outside not to enter because the structure is collapsing.
But heavy rain reportedly discouraged visitors from leaving the covered venue, while others waiting outside continued pressing towards the entrance to escape the downpour.
The opposing movements may have created dangerous pressure in the narrow passages connecting the pandal to surrounding streets.
Sonu Pal, a resident of Kumortuli who visited the pandal with his mother, described how the crowd suddenly collapsed under pressure.
“It was raining outside. No one wanted to come out of the pandal. Meanwhile, the visitors standing at the entrance to escape the rain kept pushing to enter,” he told IANS.
“Unable to handle the pressure, everyone inside the mandap fell on each other. I myself was also crushed. Somehow, I saved myself.”
Another video shows dozens of people trapped shoulder to shoulder inside a covered, barricaded passage, with women and children crying for help.
Some visitors can be seen holding onto walls to avoid falling as the crowd struggles to move.
Investigators have not established whether the collapse warning was accurate or whether it directly caused the stampede.
Key facts
19 dead: Including 13 women and two minors
25 injured: Three reportedly admitted to intensive care
7 arrested: Including puja organisers and security personnel
7.40pm: Approximate time of Saturday’s stampede
Trigger under probe: Announcement warning that the pandal could collapse
Other factors: Heavy rain, narrow gates, overcrowding and inadequate security
Compensation: Rs2.5 million and a government job for each bereaved family; Rs500,000 for each injured person
Investigation: Police examining CCTV footage, eyewitness accounts and security arrangements
India's deadly stampedes
October 2026 — Kolkata: At least 19 people killed at a Durga Puja pandal amid heavy rain and confusion over a possible collapse warning. Around 3,500 pandals have been set up across the city.
January 2025 — Prayagraj: At least 30 pilgrims killed in a stampede during the Maha Kumbh, one of the world's largest religious gatherings.
October 2013 — Madhya Pradesh: At least 115 pilgrims killed in a stampede near a temple after rumours spread that a bridge might collapse. Some victims drowned in the river below.
Security failures
Police said preliminary evidence pointed to serious shortcomings in arrangements made by the organisers.
“We have gathered sufficient evidence pointing to gross mismanagement by the puja organisers,” a senior officer told PTI.
According to investigators, there was no comprehensive plan to regulate the large number of visitors, while instructions on entry, exit and crowd movement were inadequate.
The number of police officers and private security guards deployed was also insufficient, the officer said.
Neither the entrance gates nor the approach road was wide enough to accommodate the sudden movement of people.
Eyewitnesses complained that security personnel were concentrated near the VIP entrance while ordinary visitors struggled through overcrowded passages.
One social media influencer who recorded conditions before the tragedy complained about the absence of crowd management and pointed to a separate VIP lane.
Seven arrested
Police have arrested seven people, including the secretary and vice-president of the organising committee, and registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Those detained also include people responsible for constructing the temporary structure, managing crowds and providing private security.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said preliminary information suggested that an announcement by private security personnel, accompanied by whistle-blowing, may have triggered the sudden rush.
He announced a fact-finding committee headed by a sitting High Court judge to investigate the disaster.
The state government also announced Rs2.5 million and government jobs for families of those killed, alongside Rs 5 lakh for each injured person and free medical treatment.
Authorities subsequently ordered several prominent Durga Puja venues across Kolkata to temporarily stop admitting visitors while safety arrangements were reviewed.
The tragedy has raised urgent questions about crowd safety at major religious gatherings, particularly where narrow access routes, large crowds and inadequate emergency arrangements leave little room for people to escape.