Kolkata Durga Puja Pandal Stampede: 17 Feared Dead, Several Injured

At least 17 people are feared dead and several others injured in a stampede at the Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on Saturday, according to reports. The injured are undergoing treatment at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.

Following the incident, police restricted entry to the Chorebagan Sarbojanin Puja pandal, while senior Kolkata Police officials rushed to the spot to oversee the situation.

The West Bengal government also launched a toll-free helpline, 18003455678, to provide information related to the stampede, the state’s Information and Culture department said.

Chief Minister Visits Hospital, Amit Shah Expresses Condolences

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari reached the hospital to assess the situation and review arrangements for the injured.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said he had spoken to Adhikari about the incident. In a post on X, Shah expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and prayed for the peace of the deceased devotees.

Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed shock and grief over the incident.

“Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the stampede at the Chore Bagan Puja Pandal. I pray to Maa Durga for the speedy recovery of all those injured and for strength and courage for their families during this difficult time,” she wrote on X.

CPI(M) Leader Calls Incident Unfortunate, Seeks Accountability

CPI(M) Central Committee member Sujan Chakraborty described the incident as deeply unfortunate and said the state government and administration must take responsibility.

“It is a very unfortunate and shameful incident. Bengal has never seen such an unfortunate incident (during Durga Puja). We don’t have any words to express grief. The administration and the state government will have to take responsibility for the incident,” he said.

Several Major Durga Puja Pandals Shut as Precaution

The Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal had attracted considerable attention this year for its theme, “Arob”, which means “Beyond Sound” in English.

As a precautionary measure following the stampede, police also closed several prominent Durga Puja pandals, including Suruchi Sangha and Chetla Agrani, to visitors. Tala Prattoy announced that its pandal would remain closed to the public until further notice.

Earlier, several puja pandals in Kolkata had also been forced to shut temporarily amid massive crowds and stampede-like situations. Similar incidents involving crowd surges were reported at Deshapriya Park, Sreebhumi and Kalyani.

The incident has raised fresh concerns over crowd management and public safety at Kolkata’s popular Durga Puja celebrations, which attract large numbers of devotees and visitors every year.