KOLKATA, India — A stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata killed at least 17 people on Saturday evening. Heavy rain had sent a large crowd rushing for the exit gate, police and state officials said.
According to The Hindu BusinessLine, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari put the toll at 17 dead and 15 injured. TOB News, citing NDTV, said 13 women and one child were among the dead.
Kolkata Police said the stampede took place at about 7:40 p.m. at the exit gate of the Sarada Park (Chor Bagan) Puja Pandal, under the Girish Park Police Station, as visitors crowded the area during rain. About 35 people were taken to Medical College and Hospital, the police said, and the pandal was closed to visitors.
Witnesses said the entrance and exit gates were narrow and there was no lighting near the gate. Several people lost consciousness in the crush and were taken to hospital on motorcycles, one witness said.
The police said reinforcements were sent to the site. Fire brigade personnel, Disaster Management Group teams and ambulances with medical teams were also sent. People seeking information about the incident were given a helpline number, 18003455678. The puja organisers were summoned to the police station, The Daily Jagran reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia payment for the next of kin of each person killed — Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. For each person injured, the payment is Rs 50,000, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X.
“The stampede in Kolkata is extremely distressing. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected.”
Adhikari and Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal visited the hospital where the injured were taken. Health Minister Saradwat Mukherjee and other senior officials also reached the hospital, a senior officer said.
Latestly, citing his post on X, reported that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken with Adhikari, put off his scheduled programmes in West Bengal on Sunday, and planned to visit the injured in hospital. President Droupadi Murmu expressed condolences to the bereaved families. Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan did the same, the news agency IANS reported.
Former chief minister Mamata Banerjee wrote on X that she was deeply shocked by the stampede. She prayed to Maa Durga for the speedy recovery of the injured and for strength for the bereaved families.
Police said further details were awaited.
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