At least 18 people were killed and 25 injured in a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on Saturday night, after rain, crowd pressure and an announcement over loudspeakers appeared to trigger panic among visitors gathered in narrow lanes outside the venue.
The stampede took place between 7 pm and 8 pm as large numbers of people waited to enter the prominent pandal during West Bengal’s biggest festive season. Videos recorded before the incident showed a dense crowd assembled near the venue. The area is made up of narrow lanes where only three to four people can walk side by side at any given point, according to the report.
First responders and officials told The Indian Express that the precise sequence of events was still being established late on Saturday night. Locals said several factors may have contributed, including rainfall that prompted people to move quickly into the pandal, the narrow access lanes, and what they described as an announcement warning that the pandal might collapse if the crowd was not brought under control.
The announcement has not been independently established in the material available, but Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said police had detained the puja organisers and private security guards hired to manage the crowd. “As per the briefing I have received so far, there was an announcement by the organisers on loudspeakers, after which the incident took place,” Adhikari said after visiting the hospital. He added that some of the injured were in critical condition.
The injured and those killed were taken to Calcutta Medical College, located less than two kilometres from the pandal. By midnight, relatives were waiting at the hospital for information about family members and friends who had gone to see the city’s famous pujas.
Dipa Dey, a relative of 26-year-old victim Sriparna Poddar, told The Indian Express that Poddar lived in Baidyabati in Hooghly and worked as a nurse at a private hospital. She had gone pandal hopping with friends on her day off. “What were the organisers doing?” Dey asked, questioning the security arrangements at a puja known to attract large crowds.
Sultan Ahmed, whose family friend Kalpana Yadav, 42, from Hooghly, died in the incident, also questioned the arrangements made by the organisers and authorities. Yadav’s children survived, he said.
Residents told the newspaper that the pandal appeared to have too few volunteers managing the visitors and that many of those handling the crowd were local youths with limited knowledge of crowd management. They also said it did not appear that an ambulance had been stationed at the venue, although this account will be examined as part of the official inquiry.
Adhikari appealed to all puja committees to coordinate with the police administration and correct gaps at entry and exit points. “People’s lives are more important than the puja theme,” he said. The statement came as authorities began examining how the crowd entered, moved through and exited the narrow area around the pandal.
The state has formed a fact-finding panel to investigate the incident. Forensic and fire brigade teams are expected to examine the site, while CCTV footage will be reviewed to determine what happened before and during the stampede. The investigation will also examine the role of the organisers, private security personnel, police arrangements, crowd movement and emergency access.
The Prime Minister has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each person who died. Those injured will receive Rs 50,000 each. Home Minister Amit Shah cancelled his programmes in the state for the following day and was expected to visit the injured and the victims, according to Adhikari.
Former chief minister and All India Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee expressed shock and sadness over the deaths and prayed for the recovery of those injured. Trinamool Congress spokesperson Nilanjan Das said the incident raised questions about possible criminal negligence and accountability involving the Kolkata Police and the administration.
The fact-finding panel, forensic examination, fire brigade assessment and review of CCTV footage will determine the official account of the stampede and identify the next steps.
