Kolkata: At least 19 people died and 25 others were injured in a stampede at Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, the first of the two Saptami days on the 2026 puja calendar. The pandal is among the three adjudged ‘Serar-sera’ by the state govt this year.The administration sealed the pandal, where the incident occurred around 7.30pm when a sudden downpour triggered a crowd surge after hundreds of revellers rushed in for shelter trapping those already inside. Local residents, who were the first responders, blamed poor crowd-management for the tragedy. “There weren’t enough policemen or even volunteers,” one of them said.Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, who visited the hospital and met family members of the deceased, blamed the incident on the callo-usness of the organisers. He appealed to puja committees across Kolkata to properly illuminate their pandals and adopt safety measures.“It’s a painful incident and extremely heartbreaking,” Adhikari said, adding that the incident will be probed and “whatever action needs to be taken will certainly be taken”.“As per initial information received, the incident happened due to an announcement made by the puja committee. Right now our priority is to treat the 25 people who have been injured. Among them, 24 are stable but one is critical. We are standing by the affected families. The Chorbagan puja pandal has been handed over to forensic teams, STF and fire brigade,” the CM said.Adhikari also announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a govt job to the kin of the dead and Rs 5 lakh to each of the injured.PM Modi posted on X, “The stampede in Kolkata is extremely distressing. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected.” The PM also announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the next of kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 to the injured.Union home minister Amit Shah, who reached the city in the evening also expressed his condolence. “I pray for the peace of the souls of those who have lost their lives in this tragic accident and extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members. The administration is making arrangements for the best possible medical treatment for the injured. I am postponing all my scheduled programs in West Bengal tomorrow to visit the injured in the hospital. I pray to Ma Durga that all the injured individuals recover swiftly,” he posted on X.According to witnesses, thousands of people were waiting in queue in the narrow lane to enter the pandal when the skies suddenly opened up. Those already inside tried to move forward but could not as visitors ahead had blocked the exit. “The pressure of people was increasing from behind. But there was no way forward as people who had already completed viewing were refusing to step out as it was pouring outside. Suddenly, I felt a huge push and stumbled ahead. There was a flight of stairs near the exit and many hurtled down. Others trampled over those who had fallen. While some could exit, several had to be pulled out after locals dismantled a portion of the pandal,” said an eyewitness.Doctors at Medical College Kolkata, where most of the injured were admitted, said the deaths were mostly due to suffocation. Many of the victims also had injury marks caused by the stampede.The Chorbagan puja has long been a concern for authorities because of its location inside the narrow Radha Madhab Saha Lane. The pandal design, which required visitors to take a flight of stairs from an upper deck to the lower level near the exit, is also believed to have contributed to the accident.Sources said a change in the puja committee meant that those with past experience in crowd management were no longer in charge.The last major stampede during Durga Puja in Kolkata was at Deshapriya Park in 2015, when a huge crowd converged to view the world’s largest Durga idol, paralysing traffic across large parts of south Kolkata. Several people fell ill and suffered injuries in that incident but there were no deaths.
