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.
Follow this space for more live updates
Live Updates
- 18 Oct 2026 2:28 PM IST
Misleading collapse warning under probe after Kolkata stampede
A warning that the Durga Puja pandal was about to collapse may have triggered panic during Saturday’s stampede at Kolkata’s Chorbagan Sarbojanin pandal, which killed at least 19 people, a senior police officer told PTI.
Investigators are examining video footage of the announcement to identify who made it and why.
"We have video footage of an announcement asking people to leave the pandal on the grounds that the structure was about to collapse. We are trying to identify who made the announcement and what prompted it," the officer said.
Police suspect poor crowd management, a sudden downpour and inadequate security contributed to the tragedy. Accounts from eyewitnesses and locals have also pointed to lapses in crowd control.
"We have gathered sufficient evidence pointing to gross mismanagement by the puja organisers. There was no clear plan to manage the large number of visitors, and everything was handled verbally. We have collected CCTV camera footage, recorded accounts from locals and eyewitnesses, and corroborated our findings. Security personnel were inadequate," the officer said.
Narrow entrance gates and an approach road further complicated the escape of visitors.
"Due to the mismanagement, people tried to escape through the entrance gate during the stampede. Both the gates and the approach road were narrow, which contributed to the accident," he said.
- 18 Oct 2026 1:48 PM IST
Post-mortems completed for over half of Kolkata stampede victims: Minister
West Bengal Health Minister Saradwat Mukherjee said on Sunday that post-mortem examinations had been completed for more than half of the 19 people killed in the stampede at north Kolkata’s Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal.
The stampede occurred on Saturday evening after a surge in the crowd amid rainfall. Twenty-five people were injured, all of whom are in stable condition, Mukherjee said.
"The post-mortem of more than half of the bodies has been completed," he told reporters at Kolkata Medical College and Hospital.
Two of the deceased were from neighbouring Bihar. Arrangements are being made to transport their bodies to their native places, the minister said.
"The bodies will be sent in air-conditioned hearse vans with police escort," Mukherjee said.
Of the 19 people killed, 13 were women and two were boys aged five and 13, he added.
- 18 Oct 2026 1:41 PM IST
TMC's Mamata faction targets Adhikari, police over Kolkata stampede deaths
The Mamata All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) attacked West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Kolkata Police over the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede that killed 19 people, questioning crowd management and the role of the organising committee, which lists the CM's nephew Debdeep Adhikari as chief patron.
The party alleged inadequate police deployment, civic volunteers and ambulances at the venue.
"Where was the security and emergency response when people needed you most?" it asked on social media.
AITC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee questioned Debdeep's alleged involvement, asking, "When will you put the culprit nephew in jail, Suvendu Babu?"
Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged the previous puja committee was "forced" to resign and "captured" by a new group. He shared a purported resignation letter from former secretary Jayanta Banerjee.
Police arrested seven people on Sunday, including committee general secretary Raj Kumar Sewda and vice president Santanu Dubey, in a culpable homicide case.
BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya denied knowledge of Debdeep's alleged involvement.
"To the best of my knowledge, the chief minister's nephew is a minor and stays in Kanthi in Purba Medinipur district. How can he get involved in a Kolkata puja? I do not wish to indulge in politics over this tragedy. I am quite devastated at the scale of this horrible incident," Bhattacharya said.
Adhikari announced a probe and condemned attempts to politicise the tragedy. The state announced Rs 25 lakh and a government job for a member of each deceased person's family, and Rs 5 lakh plus medical expenses for each injured person.
- 18 Oct 2026 1:35 PM IST
West Bengal Governor meets Chorbagan stampede survivors
West Bengal Governor RN Ravi visited the hospital to meet survivors of the Chorbagan stampede and spoke with several of them.
- 18 Oct 2026 1:33 PM IST
'Mismanagement and inadequate security may have triggered Kolkata Stampede'
Poor crowd management and misleading announcements after a sudden downpour during Saptami celebrations may have triggered panic among visitors, leading to a stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, a senior police officer told PTI on Sunday.
Circumstantial evidence, along with accounts from locals and eyewitnesses, points to inadequate crowd control during Saturday evening’s incident, the officer said. The number of police personnel and private security guards deployed at the venue was also insufficient, worsening the situation.
“We have gathered sufficient evidence pointing to gross mismanagement by the puja organisers. There was no clear plan to manage the large number of visitors, and everything was handled verbally. We have collected CCTV camera footage, recorded accounts from locals and eyewitnesses, and corroborated our findings. Security personnel were inadequate,” the officer told PTI.
- 18 Oct 2026 1:30 PM IST
Suvendu Adhikari meets police officials after Kolkata stampede
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari reached Bhawani Bhawan, the state police headquarters, on Sunday to meet senior police officers and Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Agarwal following the stampede at Kolkata’s Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal, reported India Today.
The meeting is focused on reviewing the incident and discussing measures to prevent similar tragedies in the state. All senior police officers and the chief secretary are attending the meeting.
- 18 Oct 2026 12:59 PM IST
Kalyan Banerjee blames ‘maladministration’ for Kolkata stampede
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee blamed “maladministration” for the stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata that claimed 19 lives, alleging serious lapses in crowd management and police deployment.
Speaking to ANI, Banerjee said he had never witnessed such an incident since childhood.
“Since my childhood, I have never seen such incidents. This is due to maladministration. It is a case of complete maladministration,” he said.
Pointing to the arrangements at the venue, Banerjee alleged that lighting was inadequate and the structure restricted the space available for people to gather outside.
“You have seen that there was inadequate lighting within the premises. The way the structure was built meant that not many people could gather outside. An elevated corridor had been constructed,” he said.
He also questioned why the police had permitted such an arrangement, arguing that it failed to meet crowd management requirements.
“I do not understand why the police allowed this. The entire arrangement did not conform to crowd management requirements. What was the police doing? There was not a single police officer,” he said.
- 18 Oct 2026 12:55 PM IST
Watch: Amit Shah, Suvendu Adhikari visit Kolkata stampede victims in hospital
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the injured victims of the Durga Puja pandal stampede at Apollo Hospital.
- 18 Oct 2026 11:40 AM IST
Kolkata stampede: 14 injured hospitalised, 5 in ICU
Fourteen people injured in the stampede at Kolkata’s Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal have been admitted to Apollo Hospital in Salt Lake, Dr Narayan Banerjee said on Sunday. Five patients are in the intensive care unit (ICU), while the remaining nine are being treated in the general ward, reported India Today.
Two patients are seriously injured, while a 13-year-old girl admitted to the hospital is stable, the doctor said. The other patients, apart from the two critical cases, are also stable and receiving treatment.
Most of the injured are expected to be discharged on Monday, Banerjee said. However, patients who require surgery will continue to remain in hospital.
- 18 Oct 2026 11:36 AM IST
Congress leader blames Bengal government for police lapses after stampede
Congress leader Suman Roy Chaudhuri criticised the BJP-led government in Bengal over the stampede, accusing the administration of diverting police resources towards political opponents instead of ensuring public safety.
“According to us and our sources, even more people have died than that, and there are more injured as well. Running the government and controlling the police administration is one thing, and deploying the police administration for the right work is another thing. The government in Bengal uses the police to intimidate opponents,” he told ANI.
Chaudhuri questioned the police arrangements during the festival, arguing that the authorities should have paid greater attention to crowd management at the puja venue.
“Bengal has such a big festival—where is the police activity visible? What is the police doing? One thing is that the organisers definitely have some fault in this. The police should have taken full control of this puja, but the police is busy elsewhere. In 20–30 years, such a big accident has never happened on the soil of Bengal,” he added.
