The Chor Bagan Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity pandal was closed following the stampede. Police said several other crowded puja pandals were also shut afterwards.
At least 19 people were killed and 25 were injured in a stampede at the Chorebagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on Saturday evening, West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said, adding that the state government will set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta high court to probe the case.
The stampede broke out at around 7.30 pm at Chor Bagan, a popular Durga Puja venue in north Kolkata, as crowds pushed through a narrow bylane on Saptami, the seventh day of the festival. Heavy rain had left the streets slippery.
Located less than 2 km from Howrah Bridge, Chor Bagan is among Kolkata’s oldest Durga Puja pandals. Eyewitnesses said people seeking shelter from the rain rushed towards the venue through the narrow lane. Within seconds, several people slipped and fell on top of one another, triggering a chain reaction.
Kolkata stampede: Latest developments
- Seven people, including the organiser, a security agency representative and an event management company official, have been arrested in the stampede case.
- The arrested have been identified as -Raj Kumar Sewda, Committee Secretary, Santanu Dubey, Vice President; Biplab Mukherjee, engaged in the construction of the bamboo structure; Koushik Saha, engaged in controlling the crowd and checking VIP passes; Pintu Dey, engaged in crowd control and management; Suman Chakraborty, from a private security agency; and Rajesh Pal, in charge of the private security at the pandal.
- Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that poor crowd management and inadequate police presence led to the stampede.
- TMC also claimed that one of the puja organisers was the chief minister’s ‘bhaipo’ (nephew). It wrote on X, “A Bengal BJP MLA also happens to be the Chairman of this Puja Committee! Where is the accountability? Who is responsible for all these deaths?”
- Adhikari announced a compensation of ₹25 lakh and a government job for the deceased’s families. The injured will receive ₹5 lakh each. The state government will cover all medical expenses for those undergoing treatment, he said.
- The Bengal CM said the state government will set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta high court to probe the stampede.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu and Mamata Banerjee were among those who expressed condolences. Union home minister Amit Shah, who arrived in the state on Saturday for a two-day visit, cancelled all his engagements scheduled for Sunday and said he would visit the injured. Modi also announced financial assistance of ₹2 lakh for each deceased family and ₹50,000 for each injured person.