A stampede following a crowd surge at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata has reportedly left at least 17 people feared dead and several others injured, prompting compensation announcements from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visits by senior political leaders.
The incident took place on Saturday evening at the community Durga Puja pandal. The Telegraph India report, citing PTI, said at least 17 people were feared dead after the crowd surge. The report did not provide a confirmed final death toll or details of the circumstances that led to the surge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as “extremely distressing” in a post on X and announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased person. He also announced Rs 50,000 for every injured person.
“My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest,” Modi said. He added that the local administration was providing all possible assistance to those affected.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah postponed his programmes in Bengal scheduled for Sunday and said he would visit the hospital to meet the injured. In a post on X, Shah said he had received news of “multiple casualties” after the stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal.
Shah also said he had spoken with Chief Minister “Shri Suvendu Adhikari”, according to the report. The source separately quoted former Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee reacting to the incident. The report did not provide further official details about the conversation or clarify the reference to the chief minister.
Banerjee said she was deeply shocked and saddened by the stampede at the Chorbagan puja pandal. She prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured and for strength for their families.
The Trinamool Congress alleged that Kolkata Police personnel and ambulances were not present at the site to manage the crowd or assist victims after the incident. The party claimed that local residents and visitors rescued injured people and transported them to hospital in Ola and Uber vehicles. It also accused the BJP-led administration of failing citizens while protecting VIPs.
The allegations were presented by the Trinamool Congress in a social media post and were not independently verified in the supplied report. The report also did not identify the hospital or hospitals treating the injured, provide a breakdown of casualties, or specify whether any arrests or investigations had been announced.
The incident places the focus on the emergency arrangements at large religious gatherings, where crowd movement, access routes, medical support and the speed of evacuation can determine the consequences of a sudden surge. At the Chorbagan pandal, the account supplied by the source indicates that residents and visitors played a role in taking injured people to hospital, while the political allegations raise questions about the availability of police and ambulances at the site.
The Prime Minister’s compensation announcement provides immediate financial assistance to affected families, but the report does not state when the payments will be disbursed or which authority will coordinate them. It also does not include a formal statement from Kolkata Police, the district administration or the organisers of the puja regarding the cause of the crowd surge.
Amit Shah’s scheduled hospital visit on Sunday was the next stated official step. Further details on the final casualty figures, the condition of the injured and any administrative or police inquiry were awaited.
