Kolkata stampede LIVE: Seven accused sent to 10-day police custody
CM Suvendu Adhikari announces Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia and jobs for kin of deceased, says government will form fact-finding team led by HC judge to probe incident
At least 19 people were killed and 25 others injured in a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday (October 17). A majority of the deceased are said to be women and children.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who rushed to the Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, where the victims were taken, announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh and a Group D govt job for the family of each deceased. He said the government will take full responsibility for the treatment of the injured and provide Rs 5 lakh as compensation to each of them.
What led to the stampede?
The chief minister said the incident occurred at around 7.30 pm at Kolkata’s Chorbagan Sarbojanin puja pandal and an announcement by the organisers led to a rush among the revellers, causing the "painful incident".
"According to initial reports by the officials at the spot, the incident occurred owing to an announcement on the loudspeaker by the puja organisers," he said.
Even though investigators are still piecing together the sequence of incidents that led to the stampede, some reports also say that a heavy downpour and an announcement at the puja pandal led to chaos and the subsequent tragedy.
A TOI report says that as a drizzle turned into a heavy spell of rain, visitors were forced to take refuge inside the pandal.
A senior officer told New Indian Express that when it started raining, the crowd waiting outside the pandal rushed forward and, in the process, some of them fell, leading to the stampede.
Several visitors have also blamed the stampede on the alleged inadequate safety arrangements made by Kolkata Police.
The Chorbagan Durga Puja, which has gained popularity in recent years and draws a large number of revellers, is located on a narrow road off Chittaranjan Avenue.
According to the family members of two of the deceased, the blowing of a whistle by private security guards at the pandal area led to a rush among the people waiting to visit the pandal, the chief minister said.
Govt to form fact-finding panel
The chief minister said police have detained Chorbagan Durga Puja organisers, private security guards, and on-duty staff for questioning.
"It is a painful incident, and we are doing whatever is required. The Chorbagan Durga Puja organisers, private security guards and on-duty staff have been detained," he said.
The entire place has been sealed and the forensic, STF and fire brigade are conducting the initial investigation, he said.
Adhikari said the government will form a fact-finding committee headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court and will act as per its recommendations.
Adhikari said that the administration's priority is to give proper treatment to the injured.
"Till now, family members of nine dead have reached here. I have spoken to them personally. Fact-finding will be done, and steps will be taken," the chief minister said.
Amit Shah’s events postponed
Adhikari said that all official programmes, including those of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, have been postponed due to the tragedy.
Shah arrived in Kolkata and was scheduled to visit some Durga Puja pandals on Sunday.
Stating that the state government stands with the families of the deceased and injured, the chief minister said the Chorbagan community Durga Puja pandal has been closed.
He said that the stampede site has been handed over to the forensic department, the police STF, and the Fire Brigade for investigation.
The chief minister urged all theme-based Durga Puja organisers to ensure proper lighting at the venue and adequate entry-exit gates for the visitors.
"Many pandals are dimly lit in the name of theme puja," he said, urging the organisers to follow the advice of the authorities.
"Lives of people are more valuable than themes," he said.
Caution for other pandals
The administration has also advised several popular pandals with themes to temporarily close down the pandals. Kolkata flaunts around 3,500 such pandals during Durga Puja.
A large number of Durga Puja organisers in Kolkata and other places in the state compete with each other in making their pandals more attractive by setting up theme-based creations.
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Live Updates
- 18 Oct 2026 9:01 PM IST
Bengal govt assigns 9 IPS officers Durga Puja crowd management charge
The West Bengal government on Sunday decided to deploy nine IPS officers experienced in Durga Puja crowd management to handle the festive rush in Kolkata, a day after a pandal stampede killed 19 people, an official said.
Amid concerns over crowd management, police deployment and allegations of negligence against puja organisers following the tragedy, Kolkata Police issued an 11-point advisory for its personnel to prevent untoward incidents at major Durga Puja pandals.
A top official said that to spruce up crowd management, nine IPS officers -- Sumanjit Ray, IG (Border), Mehmud Akhtar, IG (IB), Miraj Khalid, IG (Traffic), Rupesh Kumar, DIG (STF), Shubhankar Bhattacharya, DIG (Traffic), Tarun Haldar, DIG (CID), Soumya Ray, SS (EB), Priyabrata Ray, SP (Traffic) and Deepak Sarkar, SS (CID) -- have been assigned crowd-management duties during the festival.
"These officers have experience in handling huge crowds during Durga Puja in Kolkata. They have been brought back to help ensure proper crowd management and prevent a repeat of the Chorbagan incident," a senior official said.
About the Kolkata Police's 11-point advisory, another officer said entry points to pandals must be closed when it rains, and people inside must be brought out safely.
No crowd will be allowed inside pandals during such situations. Police have also been directed to ensure adequate lighting at the venues, he said.
"The advisory states that police personnel must not leave their assigned posts even during rain. Movement of visitors into pandals must be regulated according to the situation.
"Vehicles carrying VIPs will not be allowed up to the pandals and must be parked at a designated distance," the officer elaborated.
- 18 Oct 2026 6:56 PM IST
Seven arrested men sent to 10 days’ police custody
The seven people arrested were sent to 10 days' police custody by a local court. The ten people arrested are - Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity secretary Raj Kumar and vice-president Santanu Dubey -- besides Biplab Mukherjee, who built the bamboo structure; Koushik Saha and Pintu Dey, who were responsible for crowd control; and Suman Chakraborty and Rajesh Pal, who were in charge of private security.
A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered against them.
During the hearing, the seven men were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court, Bankshall. The public prosecutor requested that the judge grant police custody, noting that the actions of these individuals led to the loss of 19 lives, leaving many families devastated.
- 18 Oct 2026 4:37 PM IST
Suvendu Adhikari to inspect traffic management at Lalbazar
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said he would visit the Lalbazar Traffic Police Control office to inspect traffic management.
"Today, I will be at the Lalbazar Traffic Police Control office and inspect traffic management," Adhikari said after meeting police and administrative officials.
- 18 Oct 2026 4:33 PM IST
Sanjay Singh questions emergency arrangements after Kolkata stampede
AAP MP Sanjay Singh criticised the BJP-led West Bengal government over the stampede, saying inadequate arrangements for ambulances, healthcare and police deployment may have cost lives.
Singh said the administration “should have made solid arrangements” and alleged that emergency services were lacking when the incident occurred.
“When this unfortunate incident happened, even at that time, the arrangements for an ambulance or health department, the police department that should have been there, were not made; because of which so many lives were lost. These people could perhaps have been saved,” he told news agency ANI.
- 18 Oct 2026 4:28 PM IST
Mahua Moitra slams BJP government over Kolkata stampede
TMC MP Mahua Moitra criticised the BJP-led West Bengal government over the stampede that killed 19 people at a Kolkata Durga Puja pandal, questioning the administration’s handling of crowd control and traffic.
In a post on X, Moitra compared the incident with crowd management during the 15 years of Mamata Banerjee’s tenure as chief minister.
"For 15 years, Mamata Banerjee was chief minister & under her the Bengal administration controlled crowds, traffic & everything else flawlessly during Durga Puja. 5 months of BJP government & 17 people die in stampede in pandal. Is this a govt or an inept killing machine?”
- 18 Oct 2026 3:55 PM IST
Chorbagan residents blame sudden rain, narrow space for stampede
Locals of Chorbagan area of Kolkata on Sunday said sudden rainfall, narrow space, heavy rush of visitors and lack of adequate volunteers and police for crowd management contributed to the stampede at the Durga Puja pandal that claimed 19 lives on the previous day.
They claimed that heavy rain caused people inside the pandal to wait for the weather to improve, while visitors waiting outside grew restless and tried to rush inside the already full marquee.
Pramod Gupta, who resides near the Chorbagan puja pandal on Radha Madhav Lane, said the queue of visitors to the marquee had reached Mahatma Gandhi Road about 700 metres away. "Everything was fine till the rain started," he said.
Gupta said there was a sudden rush after the downpour started and people were trying to scamper out of the pandal as many more entered from outside. "Standing in front of my house, I could hear screams as people rushed out," he said.
Another woman resident of the locality said the narrow lane, which became narrower with the setting up of temporary shops, caused impediments in the swift rescue of the injured. "Ambulances could not reach the spot, and the injured had to be carried out to the main thoroughfare some distance away," she said.
Another local man alleged that there were very few police personnel and volunteers inside the pandal, thus making crowd management difficult. "We started the rescue work by breaking the bamboo structures and barricades of the pandal," he said.
- 18 Oct 2026 3:52 PM IST
Committee visits popular Durga puja pandals to review safety norms
A high-level committee to review safety arrangements at major Durga Puja marquees across West Bengal began visiting community puja pandals in Kolkata on Sunday, an official said.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had announced the formation of the committee in the wake of the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, which killed 19 people and injured 25 others.
The panel includes Disaster Management Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Director General of Fire Services Anuj Sharma.
Commencing their visit from Santosh Mitra Square near Sealdah station, which attracts a huge number of revellers due to its innovative themes, the committee members scrutinised the entry and exit gates and lighting arrangements.
The panel members would visit several crowd-puller Durga Puja pandals across Kolkata to oversee safety and security norms and crowd management plans, sources said.
The administration has stressed the need for wider exit points, adequate lighting and the removal of bottlenecks caused by temporary rope enclosures.
- 18 Oct 2026 2:50 PM IST
Suvendu Adhikari seeks sitting HC judge to head SIT probing Kolkata stampede
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said that personnel of the Kolkata Police, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and fire services department have been kept out of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe their role in the stampede.
The chief minister said Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal will soon write a letter to the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge, seeking his permission for a sitting high court judge to head the SIT.
“The team comprises an official from the home department, representatives of the DGP and NDRF, and the state disaster management secretary. If the Chief Justice permits, we will have a sitting judge head the SIT, else we will settle for a retired judge,” Adhikari said.
Adhikari also said he has asked for the list of temporary home guards who were on duty at the Chorbagan puja pandal to scrutinise their role in the stampede. “These home guards are not new recruits. They were appointed during 2024 and 2025,” he said, adding that one of them he tried to talk to “could not even understand, let alone speak, Bengali”.
- 18 Oct 2026 2:48 PM IST
One out of 19 dead in Durga Puja pandal stampede hailed from Bihar: Bengal CM
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday said that of the 19 people who died in the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede, 18 victims were from various parts of the state, while one deceased hailed from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur.
Emerging from a high-level meeting at Bhawani Bhaban, the state CID headquarters, Adhikari said bodies of the deceased would be handed over to family members under supervision of senior officials following the autopsy procedure.
“We have assigned magistrate and DSP-ranked officers to hand over the bodies to the respective families. The officers will remain with the families till the cremations are over,” the CM said.
Adhikari said he will personally visit the families of the deceased on October 20 and October 21 to offer condolences and hand over compensation cheques of Rs 25 lakh.
“I will try and connect with as many families as possible on those two days. I will travel by road to the residences of family members that are within 50 km from Kolkata, and use a helicopter to reach those who live further away, if weather permits,” he said.
Nineteen people died and 25 were injured in the stampede at Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, following a crowd surge amid rain on Saturday evening.
- 18 Oct 2026 2:31 PM IST
Kunal Ghosh questions transfer of stampede victims to private hospital
Mamata All India Trinamool Congress spokesperson and MLA Kunal Ghosh on Sunday questioned why stampede victims were shifted from Kolkata Medical College and Hospital to a private facility after treatment had begun. The Health Department and hospital authorities had not responded to his allegations.
At least 19 people died and 25 were injured in the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede on Saturday evening. Fourteen injured people are being treated at a private hospital off EM Bypass.
"Medical College is not a primary health centre; it is a major hospital. The junior doctors had started treatment. Why were the injured shifted to other hospitals in the middle of treatment? Is it an attempt to suppress information?" he asked.
Ghosh alleged the transfers were intended to prevent patients from speaking about the incident ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit.
"This is a complete failure of the administration, and the puja committee concerned will have to take responsibility. There are many influential people associated with it," he said.
He also questioned the award given to the puja committee.
"What arrangements were in place? Who gave them the award and why? This should also be part of the investigation," he said.
Ghosh demanded accountability from the organisers, police and civic authorities, arguing that private security guards should not be made scapegoats for alleged failures in crowd management.
