Kolkata Durga Puja pandal stampede kills 17, injures 25; children among dead, Bengal CM cancels programmes

The Prime Minister and Vice-President of India condoled the deaths of 17 people and injuries to 25 others, including one person who is in critical condition, in a stampede at a community Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening amid heavy rain and lightning. Children were also among the dead.

“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,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a post on its X handle, quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Deeply anguished by the tragic stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata. My heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured,” the Vice-President said in a post on his X handle.


Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari have cancelled their official programmes following the incident.

The West Bengal government will form a high-powered committee led by a Calcutta High Court judge to probe the incident, Adhikari said. The chief minister said the state government would write to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to request the appointment of a sitting judge to head the committee.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job for the next of kin of each person killed in the stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata. The state government will also provide Rs 5 lakh to each injured person and bear the cost of their medical treatment. Adhikari said a high-powered committee led by a sitting Calcutta High Court judge would be formed to investigate the incident. The compensation is in addition to the relief announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Adhikari said the death toll had risen to 18. “We are checking the CCTV footage, and all those in charge of crowd management will be held accountable,” he said.

The chief minister, the Director General of Police (DGP), the Commissioner of Police and senior health officials are involved in the response to the incident.

“All government programmes have been cancelled. Private security personnel, police personnel and pandal authorities are being detained. We need to stand by the people,” BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said, expressing condolences.

“Some people were transferred to other hospitals, including private hospitals. Those who are here are deeply traumatised. We have seen that an entire family lost three members. A daughter died in front of her father; a daughter died in front of her parents. A child died, and their mother died; both are in different hospitals subsequently,” Bhattacharya said.

Following the incident, instructions were issued to Durga Puja pandals to regulate lighting within their theme areas and increase illumination where necessary.

The incident took place at the Chor Bagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in the Girish Park police station area at around 7.40 pm, when a large number of visitors had gathered at the venue.

According to police, as heavy rain began, people waiting outside the pandal rushed forward, causing some visitors to fall on the road and triggering a stampede.

In a statement, Kolkata Police said all the injured had been rescued and shifted to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital (MCH). According to information available at the time, around 35 people had been taken to the hospital.

Police reinforcements, fire brigade personnel, Disaster Management Group (DMG) teams and ambulances with medical staff were deployed for rescue and emergency response. The pandal was subsequently closed to visitors.