Bengal Government Deploys Doctors at Five Major Kolkata Puja Pandals After Stampede : HC Directs Appointment of Inquiry Commission

PTI, Oct 20, 2026, Kolkata : After the death of 19 people in a stampede here, the West Bengal Health Department has decided to deploy doctors at five crowd-puller Durga Puja pandals in the metropolis to ensure quick medical care in case of any eventuality, according to an official order. Leaves of doctors, health workers and all administrative officials have been cancelled. IAS officers on leave have been asked to rejoin duty immediately. The order stated that teams, including medical officers and doctors of the rank of assistant professor, would be stationed at the five pandals from 5 pm to 6 am from October 19 to October 21, when Durga Puja ends.

Doctors from the Nil Ratan Sircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital will be deployed at nearby Santosh Mitra Square, while a team of medicos from the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital will be stationed at the Tala Prattoy puja pandal. Teams from the Medical College, Kolkata will cover the famed College Square Durga Puja, those from the National Medical College will be deployed at Ekdalia Evergreen, and doctors from SSKM Hospital will be on duty at Chetla Agrani pandal. The health department has directed major hospitals in the city to keep their emergency departments fully functional during the festival.

Orthopaedic surgeons, neurosurgeons and anaesthetists have to be present so that emergency surgeries for trauma cases can be performed without delay in the event of a major accident, the order said. As many as 19 people died, and 25 were injured in a stampede at Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday following a crowd surge amid rain. The health administration in North 24 Parganas has been asked to remain extra vigilant in view of the large gatherings expected at the Dakshineswar temple complex and for idol immersion in Taki. The department warned that those failing to comply with the order would face disciplinary action, including dismissal or suspension.

Calcutta High Court Directs Appointment of Inquiry Commission Headed by Retired Judge Into Chorbagan Stampede

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed that the West Bengal government set up a commission of inquiry headed by a retired judge of the court to inquire into the stampede at Chorbagan Durga puja pandal on October 17 that claimed 19 lives. A division bench presided by Chief Justice Ravindra V Ghuge said that a sitting judge of the high court cannot be appointed to head an inquiry in accordance with a Supreme Court directive, as was prayed for by the state government. The bench said a retired judge of the high court can be chosen by the West Bengal government to head the inquiry commission into the cause of the stampede and the people responsible for the incident.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had said that a sitting judge of the high court would head a special investigation team (SIT) to be formed to probe the incident. The vacation bench of the court, in a special sitting on Navami of the Durga puja festival, was hearing a PIL by a lawyer seeking an independent and speedy probe into the stampede on Saptami, the first day of the Durga puja festival.