Kolkata Durga Puja Stampede Kills 19, Injures 25, Bengal CM Announces ₹25 Lakh Aid, PM Modi Offers ₹2 Lakh

The death toll in the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede in north Kolkata has reached 19, with 25 people injured, as the West Bengal government steps up its response and an investigation examines the circumstances that led to the tragedy.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Sunday that 18 of the deceased were from different parts of West Bengal, while one victim hailed from Muzaffarpur in Bihar.

Speaking after a high-level meeting at Bhawani Bhaban, the state CID headquarters, Adhikari said magistrates and deputy superintendent of police (DSP)-ranked officers had been assigned to oversee the handover of the bodies to the victims’ families. The officers will remain with the families until the cremations are completed, he said.

The chief minister announced that he would personally visit the bereaved families on October 20 and 21 to offer condolences and hand over compensation cheques of ₹25 lakh for each deceased victim’s family.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced ex-gratia assistance of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased victim from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). Those injured in the stampede will receive ₹50,000 each. The Prime Minister expressed condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The West Bengal government has also announced a government job for one eligible member of each deceased victim’s family, while each injured person will receive ₹5 lakh, along with medical expenses covered by the state.

The stampede occurred on Saturday evening amid heavy rain and a surge of visitors at the Durga Puja pandal. The tragedy has raised serious concerns over crowd management and public safety at large religious gatherings.

The investigation is also drawing attention to the possible role of authorities responsible for safety arrangements at the venue. Adhikari said personnel from the Kolkata Police, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and fire services department had been kept out of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) examining their role in the incident.

The probe is expected to establish how the crowd surge unfolded and whether adequate arrangements were in place to prevent the tragedy. The incident has cast a shadow over Kolkata’s Durga Puja celebrations, with questions over crowd control, emergency preparedness and accountability likely to remain central as the investigation progresses.