A stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata killed 19 people and injured 24 after an announcement allegedly warning that the temporary structure might collapse sent visitors rushing towards the exits during heavy rain. Seven people, including two office-bearers of the Chorbagan Durga Puja committee, have been arrested and a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been filed.
The crush occurred around 7.30pm on Saptami, when visitors reportedly moved towards an exit after the warning. Several people fell on stairs near the exit and were trampled. One of the 24 injured remains in critical condition, according to the report by the Times of India.
The arrested people include puja committee secretary Rajkumar Seoda, vice-president Shantanu Dubey, Biplab Mukhopadhyay, who was responsible for installing the bamboo structure, crowd managers Kaushik Saha and Pintu De, and private security agency employees Suman Chakraborty and Rajesh Pal. A special investigation team is examining CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts to establish who made the announcement and why.
A senior Kolkata police officer said investigators had gathered evidence pointing to “gross mismanagement” by the organisers. The officer said there was no clear plan to manage the large number of visitors and that arrangements were handled verbally. Residents also described confusion and a lack of visible crowd control during the incident.
“People panicked when organisers started announcing that the pandal might cave in. That caused the stampede,” resident Ramji Sau was quoted as saying. Another resident, Beauty Naskar, alleged that there were hardly any police officers or volunteers controlling the crowd, while some young volunteers were occupied with their phones.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari promised a judicial probe headed by a sitting judge, subject to the chief justice’s approval, or by a retired judge. He said the findings would be made public and announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for each injured person. He also said a magistrate-rank officer and a DSP-rank officer would accompany each victim’s body home.
Adhikari said temporary home guards managing ropes that separated entry and exit routes abandoned their posts when the rain began. He directed police across Bengal to inspect major pandals, restrict entry where necessary and enforce safety measures. Nine IPS officers with previous Kolkata police experience have been assigned puja duty in the city.
Police have been instructed to keep exits clear, improve lighting, maintain the movement of visitors and carry ropes, guardrails and loudspeakers. Across Kolkata, several puja committees began increasing volunteer deployment, adding fire tenders, clearing exits and limiting the number of people allowed inside pandals.
Santosh Mitra Square adopted staggered entry, while Thakurpukur SB Park reduced its permitted crowd from between 200 and 250 people to about 100 at a time. Queues continued at popular pandals such as Md Ali Park and College Square, although some visitors said they had reconsidered their plans after family members urged them to avoid crowded venues.
Political parties including the Trinamool Congress, CPM and Congress demanded accountability at Girish Park police station. Opposition leaders questioned why senior organisers and officials responsible for the alleged lapses had not been arrested. The investigation team’s examination of CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts, along with the proposed judicial inquiry, will determine the next steps in the case.
