A stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in central Kolkata on Saptami evening has left at least 17 people feared dead and around 25 to 30 injured, according to television channels citing hospital sources, but the casualty figure had not been officially confirmed in the report.
The incident took place at the Muktaram Babu Street puja venue after a sudden spell of rain prompted thousands of visitors to seek shelter. The pandal is located along a narrow stretch, with lanes leading towards the main entrance. Visitors gathered both inside the pandal and on the adjoining lanes as people attempted to escape the rain, creating a crush near a makeshift staircase.
The report said many people fell on top of one another during the rush. A portion of the iron structure under which the Durga idol was installed was also suspected to have collapsed, potentially adding to the casualties. The incident was believed to have unfolded over five to seven minutes, based on accounts available to the newspaper.
Around 25 to 30 people were taken to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, most of them reportedly in critical condition. Additional victims were still being brought to the hospital when the report was published, raising uncertainty over the final number of deaths and injuries.
Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation had not issued a confirmed casualty figure. Officials told television reporters, “We are checking what has happened.” Police sources said efforts were under way to identify the deceased and injured, many of whom were believed to have travelled from districts outside Kolkata.
The crowd movement was complicated by the physical layout of the venue. The report described one public exit as uneven and between 10 feet and 30 feet wide. It also said that Parbati Ghosh Lane, an adjoining route, was closed, while one lane was apparently restricted for VIP movement. A visitor alleged that ambulances were not allowed through the closed lane and that police personnel had left the area during the incident. These accounts had not been independently confirmed in the report.
Another visitor told the newspaper that three friends fell during the rush and had to be pulled out with help from other people. Local residents were also reported to have joined rescue efforts. A handful of volunteers were present to manage crowds, but the scale of the gathering and the sudden movement caused by the rain overwhelmed the narrow access routes, according to accounts cited by the report.
The Chorbagan Sarbojanin committee was celebrating its 91st year. The report said the pandal had been inaugurated five days earlier by Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari. After the incident, police shut down the puja venue, and organisers were not seen at the site.
The reported incident has renewed attention on crowd safety at Kolkata’s major Durga Puja venues, where temporary structures, narrow lanes and large visitor volumes can create severe pressure on entry and exit routes. The report recalled earlier crowd-related incidents, including the closure of Sreebhumi Sporting Club’s Durga Puja in 2021 after three people were grievously injured in a stampede-like situation, and the shutdown of the Deshapriya Park Puja in 2015 after around 11 people were injured in a near-stampede.
The chief minister visited the site and later the Medical College hospital, while state health minister Saradwat Mukherjee also visited the hospital. Former Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock and sadness and wished those injured a speedy recovery. Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee called for a proper investigation and accountability, saying the safety of ordinary people was the state government’s responsibility.
The Kolkata Police Lalbazar Control Room opened two helplines following the incident: 180034556782 and 033-22141310. The final number of deaths, the identities of the victims and the findings on the crowd-control arrangements remained to be officially established.
