A Kolkata Durga Puja stampede at the Chorebagan Sarbojanin pandal has left at least 17 people feared dead, according to a report by The Indian Express, with the Prime Minister’s Office announcing financial assistance for the families of those killed and for the injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for the next of kin of each person who lost their life. Those injured will receive Rs 50,000, the PMO said in a post on X on October 17.
Calling the incident “extremely distressing”, Modi said his thoughts were with those who had lost their loved ones and wished the injured a speedy recovery. He added that the local administration was providing all possible assistance to those affected.
The incident took place on Saturday at the Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata. The report did not provide details on what triggered the crowd surge, the exact number of people injured, or the operational arrangements at the venue. Those details will be important for establishing how the incident occurred and whether crowd-control and emergency-response measures were in place.
President Droupadi Murmu expressed condolences to the families of those who died and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured. She described the deaths at the Durga Puja pandal as “extremely heartbreaking”.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he had spoken to Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari about the incident. Shah said the administration was providing medical treatment to the injured and announced that he would postpone his scheduled programmes in West Bengal to visit a hospital and meet those affected.
In a post cited by The Indian Express, Shah expressed condolences to the families of the devotees who lost their lives and prayed for the recovery of those injured. The report did not specify the hospital he planned to visit or provide a timetable for the visit.
Leader of Parliament Rahul Gandhi also expressed condolences and called for immediate and proper medical treatment for the injured. He appealed for a fair investigation into the incident and asked Congress workers to assist in relief efforts.
The immediate official response has therefore focused on medical assistance, compensation and visits to the injured. The number of confirmed deaths, the final injury count, the cause of the stampede and the findings of any investigation were not established in the supplied report. Further details are expected from the local administration and investigating authorities.
