A Kolkata stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal killed at least 19 people and injured 25 others on Saturday evening after a sudden downpour triggered a crowd surge inside the narrow venue in north Kolkata. The administration sealed the pandal and ordered an investigation into the incident, which occurred around 7.30pm during the first of the two Saptami days on the 2026 puja calendar.
The pandal, one of three adjudged ‘Serar-sera’ by the state government this year, was crowded with visitors when heavy rain began. According to witnesses cited in the report, hundreds of people rushed inside for shelter while those already at the venue struggled to leave. The pressure intensified in the narrow Radha Madhab Saha Lane, where visitors were waiting in a queue to enter.
Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the hospital and met relatives of those who died. He said the incident would be probed and that action would be taken based on the findings. The chief minister also appealed to puja committees across Kolkata to ensure adequate lighting and adopt safety measures at their venues.
“As per initial information received, the incident happened due to an announcement made by the puja committee,” Adhikari said, according to the report. He added that the immediate priority was treating the injured. Of the 25 injured people, 24 were reported to be stable and one was in critical condition. The pandal was handed over to forensic teams, the Special Task Force and the fire brigade for examination.
The state government announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job for the family of each person who died. It also announced Rs 5 lakh for every injured person. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an additional compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of those who died and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Doctors at Medical College Kolkata, where most of the injured were admitted, said the deaths were primarily caused by suffocation. Several victims also suffered injuries consistent with people being trampled during the rush. Local residents were among the first to respond, and witnesses said a section of the pandal had to be dismantled to pull people out.
One eyewitness said thousands had been waiting in the narrow lane when the rain started. People inside reportedly moved towards the exit, but visitors who had completed the viewing were unable to leave because of the rain and the crowd ahead. The witness said a sudden push caused people to fall near a flight of stairs, after which others fell on top of them.
The layout of the venue is part of the investigation. Visitors had to take a flight of stairs from an upper deck to a lower level near the exit. The location inside the narrow lane had previously been a concern for authorities because of the difficulty of managing large crowds. Sources cited in the report also said a change in the puja committee had removed people with previous crowd-management experience from responsibility.
Adhikari blamed the organisers’ alleged lack of care and said the incident was “painful” and “extremely heartbreaking”. Union home minister Amit Shah also expressed condolences and said he would postpone his scheduled programmes in West Bengal to visit the injured in hospital. The authorities’ investigation will examine the crowd-control arrangements, the announcement made by the committee, the venue layout and the sequence of events that led to the deaths.
