AT LEAST 17 people died and 25 others were injured in a stampede-like situation at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said. One of the injured was in a critical condition, he said. “Seventeen people were brought dead to a hospital, while 25 others were injured,” said Adhikari, who rushed to the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital after the incident. He said an announcement by the organisers of the community Durga Puja at Chorbagan off Chittaranjan Avenue in north Kolkata led to a rush among the revellers, causing the “painful incident”.

 

As it started raining, the crowd waiting outside the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal rushed forward, and some of them fell on the road, leading to the stampede, a police officer said. Adhikari and Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal visited the State-run hospital where the injured were taken, he said. Health Minister Saradwat Mukherjee and senior officials also rushed to the hospital. Disaster management personnel have been deployed at the site, the officer said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the stampede in Kolkata is extremely distressing and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. “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,” Modi said in a post on X. The Prime Minister said the local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected. President Droupadi Murmu also expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in a stampede and extended her heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.

 

“The news of the deaths of people in a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata is extremely sad. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of those who have been injured,” the President said in a post on X in Hindi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also postponed his programmes in West Bengal scheduled for Sunday in the wake of a stampede. He will visit the hospital to meet the injured on Sunday. Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she was deeply shocked about the stampede-like situation at Chorbagan puja pandal. “Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the stampede at the Chorbagan puja pandal. I pray to Maa Durga for the speedy recovery of all those injured and for strength and courage for their families during this difficult time,” she said.

 

BJP President Nitin Nabin expressed grief over the loss of lives in the stampede and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. In a post on X in Hindi, Nabin said the State Government was extending “all possible assistance” to those affected by the tragedy. “My heart is deeply pained by the tragic incident of loss of lives due to the stampede at the Chorbagan Puja pandal in Kolkata,” the BJP chief said in a post on X. “I pray to Maa Durga to grant peace to the departed souls, provide swift recovery to the injured, and bestow strength and solace upon the bereaved families to endure this immense sorrow,” he added.