Kolkata Durga Puja stampede kills 19, injures 25

Nineteen people, including 13 women and a child, died and 25 were injured in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata, India, on Saturday evening. Eight of the injured are in critical condition.The stampede occurred at approximately 7:40 PM on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the exit gate of the Sarada Park (Chor Bagan) Puja Pandal in the Girish Park Police Station area. Kolkata Police stated that heavy crowds and rain contributed to the incident. Following the tragedy, the pandal was closed to visitors.West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced compensation of Rs 2.5 million and a government job for the families of the deceased, and Rs 500,000 for the injured. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced interim compensation of Rs 200,000 for the families of those who died and Rs 50,000 for the injured.Chief Minister Adhikari and Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal visited the Medical College and Hospital (MCH) to assess the situation. Adhikari stated that CCTV footage would be reviewed to determine if crowd control measures were adequate and to identify those responsible, including the organizing committee, police, or private security.Kolkata Police have detained 10 individuals for questioning, including some puja organizers. Chief Minister Adhikari and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are scheduled to visit the victims at the hospital on Sunday morning.The incident took place on Saptami, the seventh day of the 10-day Durga Puja festival. Eyewitnesses reported that narrow entry and exit gates, along with poor lighting, contributed to the stampede. One witness described the entrance and exit as “very narrow” and noted a lack of lighting in the area.The stampede is the latest in a series of deadly crowd incidents at Indian mass events. In 2025, a stampede at India’s Kumbh Mela religious fair killed 30 people. That same year, 11 fans died in Bengaluru during cricket celebrations, and 36 people were killed at a campaign rally in Tamil Nadu. In 2024, 121 people died during a Hindu religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh.