At least 19 people, including 13 women and a child, died, and 25 were injured in a stampede at a popular Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata, India on Saturday evening.
“Yesterday (17/10/26), at around 19:40 hrs, a stampede occurred at the exit gate of the Sarada Park (Chor Bagan) Puja Pandal in the Girish Park Police Station area due to heavy crowds of pandal visitors amid rain. All injured persons were rescued and taken to MCH (Medical College and Hospital),” the Kolkata Police said in a statement.
“Reinforcements from the Control Room, Fire Brigade, Kolkata Police, DMG team and ambulances with medical teams were deployed. The Puja Pandal is now closed to visitors,” they added.
Eight of those injured are critical. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal visited the hospital to assess the situation.
“We will check the CCTV footage to see if the crowd was being properly controlled. We will determine who is responsible: the organising committee, the police, private security, or anyone else. There’s no question of sparing anyone,” the Chief Minister said in a video statement.
The tragedy took place on Saptami, or the seventh day of the 10-day Durga Puja festival.
Narrow Entry, Exit Gates
A witness told news agency ANI that many people lost consciousness during the stampede.
Another witness blamed narrow entry and exit gates for the tragedy.
“The entrance was very narrow, and the exit gate was also narrow. There was no lighting in the area….My daughter and granddaughter are hospitalised,” he said. After the stampede, the pandal organisers halted entry to the premises and switched off the lights.
“It is not clear as of now how this incident happened. For now, our emphasis is on rescue work, and our primary task is to take the injured to the hospital. Police personnel, along with teams from the State Fire Services and State Disaster Management Department, are on the spot.
It is not clear whether the victims were trampled under crowd pressure or not,” Bikash Das, a Puja organiser, was quoted as saying by news agency IANS.
PM Modi, Amit Shah, Mamata Banerjee React
Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the incident extremely distressing. He has announced interim compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the families of those who died. The injured will receive Rs 50,000 each.
“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. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected,” he said on X.