Kolkata stampede: Crowd rush during rain leaves 19 dead, several injured

At least 19 people, including 13 women and a child, were killed and 25 injured in a stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, October 17. 

According to reports, the crowd surged as heavy rain began around 7.15 pm, trapping visitors near the pandal’s narrow entrance and exit routes.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who visited the injured at Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, said one of the injured was in critical condition. Eleven injured people were later moved to SSKM Hospital, according to reports.

The West Bengal CM said that an announcement by the puja organisers may have triggered the rush. He also said private security guards had blown whistles, possibly adding to the confusion. A senior police officer said the crowd waiting on Radha Madhab Saha Lane moved forward when the rain began. Some people fell near a staircase by the exit and were trampled, according to reports.

Police are investigating whether confusion over announcements and entry and exit routes, inadequate crowd control and the downpour resulted in the tragedy. Some visitors alleged that safety arrangements and police deployment were insufficient. 

A forensic team inspected the site, while police began questioning the organisers and reviewing CCTV footage. Club officials, security guards and personnel on duty were detained, the CM said. A fact-finding inquiry would be conducted, he added.

In the aftermath of the stampede, the state has formed a high-level committee to inspect major Durga Puja venues and assess crowd management, exit routes, lighting and structural safety. The panel will be led by Disaster Management Principal Secretary Rajesh Sinha, Fire Services Director General Anuj Sharma and Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Javed Shamim. Authorities have also advised some large, crowded pandals to close temporarily.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 2 lakh compensation from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each person who died and Rs 50,000 for each injured person.