Nineteen dead and 25 injured in Kolkata Durga Puja pandal stampede

Nineteen people, mostly women and children, died and 25 were injured in a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Oct 17, 2026.

What Happened

The crush occurred during the evening crowd at the pandal, leading to panic and a deadly surge. Police and emergency teams rushed to the site after the incident was reported.

Response

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari met victims at Bhawani Bhawan police headquarters, said the government will take responsibility and ordered an independent fact‑team headed by a sitting judge to investigate. He announced a compensation cheque of ₹25 lakh for each bereaved family and promised to deliver the cheques in person within two days. The CM said bodies are being handed over after post‑mortem and that officials are working to inform families. He urged officials not to politicise the tragedy and pledged to stay at the police headquarters for real‑time updates.

Next Steps

The government will draft new crowd‑management guidelines for Durga Puja pandals, including possible restricted access and removal of VIP lines. A meeting of victims’ families and the injured is planned at Milan Mela on Oct 26. Kolkata police have arrested seven people, among them the secretary and vice‑president of the Chorbagan Sarbajanin Durga Puja committee, in connection with the stampede.

Context

Durga Puja draws massive crowds to temporary pandals, making crowd control a recurring challenge for city authorities.