Kolkata. 19 people lost their lives in the stampede that took place on Saturday evening at Chorbagan Durga Puja Mandal in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. More than two dozen were injured. West Bengal CM Subhendu Adhikari took a strict stance in this matter. As a result, the police have arrested 7 people including the vice president of the puja committee and the pandal maker. Apart from this, Kolkata Police has also imposed Section 163 of BNSS in Bahubazar police station area of the city. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Shubhendu Adhikari, who reached Kolkata last evening, met the injured admitted in Apollo Hospital.
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CM Suvendu Adhikari arrive at Apollo Hospital to meet those injured in the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja stampede incident, which claimed 19 lives.
— ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2026
It has been told by Kolkata Police that an FIR has been registered under sections 105, 110 and 3(5) of BNS against the organizers and others at Girish Park police station in connection with the stampede incident at Chorbazar Puja Pandal. Kolkata Police has detained more than a dozen people and interrogated them. On the occasion of Saptami, a crowd of devotees had gathered in Chorbagan to have darshan of Maa Durga. At the same time it also started raining. A SIT is being formed under the chairmanship of the sitting judge of Calcutta High Court to investigate the cause of the stampede. At the same time, Kolkata Police has said that in view of the threat of disturbance of peace and deterioration of public order after the stampede at Chorbagan Puja Pandal, restrictive orders have been issued under Section 163.
Rallies, demonstrations, processions, meetings or dharnas will not be allowed from 20 October 2026 or till further orders from Kolotola Street to Eden Hospital Road on College Street, from Kolotola Street to Eden Hospital Road on CR Avenue, from College Street to CR Avenue on Kolotola Street and from CR Avenue on Eden Hospital Road under Bahubazar police station of Kolkata. People living around Chorbagan Durga Puja Mandap say that the police arrangements here were not very good. According to a female journalist, Maupiya Nandi, she had gone to Chorbagan Durga Puja Mandap shortly before the accident. The journalist says that there he saw young boys handling the crowd. At the same time, CM Shubhendu Adhikari and West Bengal BJP President Shamik Bhattacharya had said after the accident that a misleading announcement was made at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal and the private guards deployed whistled several times. After which there was a stampede near the stairs on the way out and people kept falling on top of each other. There are 13 women among the dead.