NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job for the family of each person killed in a stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata.The state government will also bear the entire cost of medical treatment for the injured and provide Rs 5 lakh to each of them, Adhikari said, adding that a fact-finding committee would be constituted to investigate the incident.“This is a tragic incident. 19 people have lost their lives, 17 of whom died on the spot… 25 people have been injured; 24 of them are out of danger, while one remains in critical condition,” the chief minister said. He added that the government was making every possible effort to assist the affected families and that he had personally met relatives of the deceased.
‘Appropriate measures against those who failed to manage crowd’
Adhikari said the state government would seek the intervention of the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court to constitute a fact-finding committee, which would include special task force (STF) and forensic teams. The investigation would examine the circumstances leading to the stampede and identify those responsible for the crowd management arrangements.Kolkata Police’s Anti-Rowdy Section (ARS) has collected CCTV footage from the site, which will be examined as part of the investigation.“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.He said the state government was making arrangements for postmortems in accordance with the law and that six of the deceased had been identified so far. Officials were also coordinating with the families of the victims.The chief minister said the families who had met him had expressed faith in the state government. He added that the Prime Minister’s Office had sought a report from the chief secretary, which had been submitted, and that the Centre and the state were working together to provide assistance.
‘Some attempting to politicise this, but it will be to no avail’
Adhikari also criticised the previous state government over its handling of past tragedies, accusing some people of attempting to politicise the current incident.“Everyone is well aware of the role of the previous government in similar incidents that occurred in the past. Some are attempting to politicize this, but it will be to no avail. I have met with the families of the deceased, and they have explicitly stated that they have full faith in the Chief Minister and the government… The PMO also requested a report from the Chief Secretary, which we have submitted. The Prime Minister has announced relief and compensation. The central and state governments are working together on this…” he said.Referring to other incidents, Adhikari said 13 people had died due to electrocution during the 2025 Puja season amid heavy rain. He also referred to a devastating flood in north Bengal that killed 100 people, questioning the previous chief minister’s response to those tragedies.
‘An announcement by the organisers’ led to the rush
The stampede occurred on Saturday evening, on Maha Saptami, at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata. At least 19 people died and 25 were injured after a crowd surge amid rain, according to officials.A police officer said people waiting outside the pandal rushed forward as it began raining, causing some to fall on the road and triggering the stampede. Adhikari said an announcement made by the organisers of the community Durga Puja had led to a rush among revellers, resulting in what he described as a “painful incident”.Officials of the organising club, private security guards and personnel on duty were detained for questioning, he said. The administration also advised several crowded theme-based puja pandals to temporarily close following the tragedy.
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Union home minister Amit Shah, who had arrived in Kolkata and was scheduled to visit pandals on Sunday, cancelled his programmes following the incident. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed condolences over the deaths.PM Modi announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased person and Rs 50,000 for each injured person. The state government has also launched a toll-free helpline to provide information related to the stampede.