The stampede occurred at the Chorebagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, the day of Maha Saptami, following a crowd surge amid rain
Thousands of people had gathered at the venue when a sudden downpour prompted those outside to rush into the pavilion for shelter, triggering a stampede, according to the reports.
An eyewitness said several people lost consciousness in the crush, while some of the injured were rushed to hospital on motorcycles.
Organizers subsequently closed the pavilion to visitors.
Bikash Das, one of the organizers, said the exact cause of the tragedy remained unclear and rescue operations were the immediate priority.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as "extremely distressing."
"My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. The West Bengal government is providing all possible help to the affected families," Modi said in a post on X.
Injured people and their relatives arrive at Kolkata Medical College and Hospital following a stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on October 17, 2026. PTI
Kolkata Police have arrested seven people, including organisers of Chorbagan Durga Puja, for the pandal stampede that killed at least 19 people, a senior officer said on Sunday.Police have also registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Law enforcers detained 14 people on Saturday night in connection with their probe into the incident
“We have arrested seven people. They were among the 14 detained last night. More arrests may be made,” the IPS officer told PTI.
Those arrested include the puja committee’s secretary, vice-president and two employees of a private security agency, among others, he said.
“Rajkumar Seoda and Shantanu Dubey were the secretary and vice-president, respectively, of the Chorbagan Puja committee. Biplab Mukhopadhyay was responsible for installing the bamboo structure at the pandal, while Kaushik Saha and Pintu De were in charge of crowd management,” the officer said.
Suman Chakraborty and Rajesh Pal, employees of the private security agency, were also apprehended, he said.
“The process of identifying the bodies is underway,” the officer said, adding the post-mortem examination will begin on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday morning visited a hospital where 14 of those injured in the stampede were undergoing treatment.Shah was accompanied by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, a state government official said.
Chief Minister Adhikari earlier said, “An SIT headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court will investigate the incident. The SIT will comprise members from STF, CID and other departments.” Anti-Rowdy Section (ARS) of Kolkata Police has collected CCTV footage of that place during the mishap.
“We will check the footage and take appropriate measures against those who failed to manage the crowd. That could be a member of the puja committee, a homeguard, a temporary worker, a policeman, or a private company security guard. Nobody will be spared,” Adhikari said.
According to the family members of two of the deceased, the blowing of a whistle by private security guards at the pandal area led to a rush among the people waiting to visit the pandal, the Chief Minister said.
"It is a painful incident, and we are doing whatever is required. The Chorbagan Durga Puja organisers, private security guards and on-duty staff have been detained," he said.
The chief minister urged all theme-based Durga Puja organisers to ensure proper lighting at the venue and adequate entry-exit gates for the visitors."Many pandals are dimly lit in the name of theme puja," he said, urging the organisers to follow the advice of the authorities.
"Lives of people are more valuable than themes," the CM said.
A large number of Durga puja organisers in Kolkata and other places in the state compete with each other in making their pandals more attractive by setting up theme-based creations.