The death toll in the Kolkata Durga Puja stampede rose to 19 on October 17 after a crowd surge at the exit gate of the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, prompting a probe by a sitting Calcutta High Court judge and a police investigation into crowd-management failures.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said 17 people were brought dead to Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata. A child died at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, while another person died while being taken to a private healthcare facility. Around 24 people were injured, several of whom were shifted to private hospitals.
The incident occurred at about 7.40 p.m. during heavy rain, when a large number of visitors had taken shelter inside the pandal. According to preliminary reports, an announcement was made over a microphone asking people to leave, allegedly claiming that the structure could collapse. Private security personnel engaged by the organisers also allegedly blew whistles, adding to the panic.
The police have obtained CCTV footage from the pandal and are questioning 12 people, including organisers and volunteers. Mr. Adhikari said the investigation would examine the circumstances that led to the incident and determine responsibility for crowd control. He said the police had granted permission for the pandal and that action would be taken against those found to have failed to manage the crowd.
The Chief Minister said he would write to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court seeking the appointment of a sitting judge to oversee a Special Investigation Team probing the incident. The Chorbagan pandal, which had been attracting large crowds and was themed ‘Arava’, or ‘Beyond Sound’, has been closed following the stampede.
Doctors said 13 of those killed were women, three were men and one was a child. Two of the deceased were from Bihar. The State government has announced compensation of ₹25 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased person and a job for one member of every bereaved family. Those injured will receive financial assistance of ₹5 lakh.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who arrived in Kolkata on Saturday evening, cancelled his scheduled programmes and was expected to visit the injured. The incident has also triggered political allegations, with the Mamata Banerjee-backed Trinamool Congress claiming that a relative of Chief Minister Debdeep Adhikari was associated with the puja committee. The allegation was not established in the report.
Mr. Adhikari urged Durga Puja organisers to ensure adequate safety arrangements and proper lighting inside pandals for the remaining days of the festival. Durga Puja will continue until October 21, with the West Bengal government stating that around 57,400 pujas are being organised across the State.
