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Updated - October 18, 2026 08:51 pm IST - Kolkata

An injured person being shifted to Kolkata Medical College and Hospital following a stampede-like situation caused by an exit gate collapse due to heavy crowd pressure at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal, in Kolkata on Saturday, (October 17, 2026). | Photo Credit: PTI

The death toll in the stampede at the Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata climbed to 19 on Sunday (October 18, 2026), including four children and 13 women. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari issued directives on crowd management to district and police authorities for the rest of the festival, including restricted access to pandals if needed.

Seven people have been arrested, including the secretary and vice-president of the Chorbagan Sarbajanin Durga Puja committee, where the stampede broke out on Saturday (October 18). A suo motu case has been filed at the Girish Park police station under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), among other charges. There were 14 people detained on Saturday (October 17) night, of which seven were taken into custody on Sunday (October 18).

Mr. Adhikari held a meeting with senior police and administrative officials at Bhabani Bhawan, after which he issued a series of directives for the remainder of the festival. “The police will issue new guidelines for crowd management in the Durga Puja pandals which are witnessing massive crowds. This is after taking a lesson from yesterday’s tragedy. If needed, there will be restricted access to Durga Pujas,” the Chief Minister said.

Promising a probe into the causes of the mishap, Mr. Adhikari said that the State’s Chief Secretary will write to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to set up a special investigation team (SIT) headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court. Since questions are being raised about the role of the Kolkata police, its officials will be kept out of the SIT, the CM said.

According to preliminary reports, the stampede broke out after a large number of people took shelter from the rain in the Durga Puja pandal. A misleading announcement was then made by the pandal organisers, asking people to leave the pandal premises, saying that the structure could collapse at any moment. Some private security staff engaged by the pandal also blew whistles, causing further panic.

About 25 people sustained injuries in the stampede, of which 14 have been shifted to Apollo Hospitals. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had cancelled his plan to visit Durga Puja pandals in Kolkata, met the injured at the private health facility.

The West Bengal government has announced a compensation of ₹25 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased. The Chief Minister said he plans to visit the families of the deceased in person in their homes in the next two days and hand over the compensation cheques to them.

After the stampede, a few Durga Puja pandals had temporarily closed down. However, the pandals started having visitors from Sunday. Senior officials of the West Bengal Fire Department and West Bengal police went around different pandals in the city and urged the organisers to increase the lights inside their pandals.

The Chief Minister said the Durga Pujas will be held over the remaining days and the Bijoya (Vijay Dasahami) celebrations will also be held without any pomp and show.

Published - October 18, 2026 07:58 am IST

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