Stampede at Kolkata Durga Puja pandal leaves 25 injured
A stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata killed at least 17 people and injured dozens. The incident occurred at the exit gate of a pandal in Girish Park during a religious festival on Saturday evening. A sudden downpour prompted people to rush into the pandal, triggering panic and a crowd surge. A warning about structural collapse was made via a microphone, and officials said crowd management and narrow access contributed to the tragedy.
- A stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata killed at least 17 people and injured dozens.
- Twenty-five people were injured in the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh for next of kin of each person who died and ₹50,000 for each injured person.
- The stampede occurred at the exit gate of the Sarada Park Puja Pandal near Girish Park in Kolkata.
- A senior police officer said a sudden downpour prompted people to rush into the pandal, triggering panic.
- West Bengal's Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari stated that the fatalities included a seven-year-old girl and that 25 people were receiving treatment for injuries.
- Kolkata Police registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide and are investigating lapses in crowd management and heavy rain.
- A microphone announcement warned visitors the Chorbagan pandal was at risk of collapsing.
- The state government announced ₹25 lakh compensation for each deceased victim and said 17 died immediately.
- Eyewitnesses said announcements about crowd movement were inadequate and caused confusion.
- A high-level committee began visiting community puja pandals across West Bengal to review safety arrangements.
- Police said the gates and approach road to the pandal were narrow and that deployment was inadequate.
- The Chief Minister blamed the organizers for a misleading announcement that contributed to confusion.
- The state government plans to seek a fact-finding committee to investigate the incident.
- Press Trust of India said the death toll increased to 19.
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