Kolkata pandal stampede: Adhikari orders independent probe, promises compensation for victims’ families

West Bengal Suvendhu Adhikari, after meeting the victims of the stampede in the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, said that the Government will take responsibility for the tragedy, and launch an independent probe by a fact-team, headed by a sitting judge.

Nineteen people, most of them women and children, died and 25 others were injured in a stampede at the pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday (October 17, 2026).

Kolkata pandal stampede LIVE updates

“Top government officials and ministers are taking all necessary steps to hand over the bodies of the deceased to the respective families. The process of handing over the bodies after post mortem has started,” Mr. Adhikari said.

“I have informed officials to ensure the ₹25 lakh compensation cheque is handed over to the families of the victims immediately. I plan to visit the victims’ families in person in their homes in the next two days and hand over the compensation cheques to them,” he said.

The Chief Minister announced that new crowd management guidelines will be drawn after the stampede’s “lesson”.

“Police will issue new guidelines for crowd management in the Durga Puja pandals which are witnessing massive crowds. This is after taking a lesson from yesterday’s tragedy,” he added .“If needed there will be restricted access to Durga Pujas. There will be no VIP or other special lines for visiting pujas. Learning from the bad experience of yesterday.”

“Such incidents can sometimes happen. But as a government we take responsibility for it and not play blame games and criticise, and co-operate for rescue and relief. Let us not politicise this,” Mr. Adhikari said.

Taking a dig at the previous Trinamool government, Mr. Adhikari said, “We are carrying a lot of garbage from the past, it will take us a while to clean all this.”

“There was, of course, shortcomings. We will investigate. The final fact-finding team does not have any Kolkata Police, a sitting judge will head it so that everyone who have permissions, including police and fire departments can be investigated impartially,” he said. 

“We are not enjoying a holiday. We are all here taking action and monitoring the situation. If needed I will stay in Bhawani Bhawan [West Bengal police headquarters] to get better updates and take decisions. Better to hear and see things for myself than know things secondhand,” he said. “I have asked for the names of temporary home guards who were on duty at the accident site. I will be able to understand a lot once I get the list of names.”

Seven people, including the secretary and vice president of the Chorbagan Sarbajanin Durga Puja committee, have been arrested in connection with the pandal stampede, said the Kolkata Police on Sunday (October 18, 2026).