19 Killed, 25 Injured in Stampede at Durga Puja Pandal in Kolkata
Published : 11:10, 18 October 2026
The death toll from a stampede caused by overcrowding at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, has risen to 19. The victims include 13 women and one child. Another 25 people were injured, eight of them in critical condition.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening, October 17, near the entrance and exit of the Durga Puja pandal at Sarada Park in Chorbagan, under the Girish Park police station area in north Kolkata. Kolkata Police said the situation arose as large crowds gathered at the pandal despite the rain.
In a statement issued that evening, police said the stampede occurred near the exit at around 7:40 pm local time. All the injured were rescued and taken to Medical College and Hospital.
Police, fire service personnel, disaster response teams and medical teams were deployed for rescue operations. Additional police personnel were also sent from the control room to bring the situation under control. The pandal was closed to visitors following the incident.
According to an NDTV report, police detained 12 people, including several members of the Chorbagan Durga Puja organising committee.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal visited the hospital to check on the injured. The chief minister said CCTV footage would be examined to determine the cause of the incident.
In a video message, he said investigators would review the footage to establish whether crowd management at the pandal had been adequate. He added that action would be taken against anyone found responsible, including members of the organising committee, police personnel or private security staff. He said no one would be spared if found culpable.
The chief minister also announced the formation of a high-level committee to review security arrangements at major Durga Puja pandals across the state.
In addition, he announced financial assistance of 250,000 rupees for the family of each deceased person and a Group D government job for one member of each bereaved family.
