At least 17 people were killed and several others injured after a crowd surge triggered a stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, police said. The incident occurred when rain prompted people waiting outside the pandal to move forward, causing some to fall on the road and setting off the crush, according to a senior police officer.
The pandal was closed to visitors after the incident, while police, fire brigade personnel, disaster management teams and medical teams were deployed at the site. Ambulances were also rushed to the location as authorities began moving injured people to hospitals for treatment.
An eyewitness told news agency ANI that several people lost consciousness during the incident and that some were taken away on motorcycles. The eyewitness also described a massive crowd at the pandal as the situation unfolded. The account was reported by the Times of India with agency inputs.
Several injured people were admitted to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and chief secretary Manoj Agarwal visited patients at the hospital, while health minister Sharadwat Mukherjee also met injured people receiving treatment there.
Governor Ravi expressed sorrow over the deaths and offered condolences to the families of those killed. Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said she was deeply shocked by the incident and prayed for the recovery of those injured. TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said the immediate priority was to ensure treatment for the injured and called for additional doctors and related staff at the medical college.
The incident has placed the management of crowd movement, weather-related surges and emergency access at temporary public festival venues under immediate scrutiny. Police have established helplines at the Lalbazar Control Room for people seeking information about the incident. The numbers released by police are 18003455678 and 03322141310.
