Kolkata Durga Puja Stampede: Organisers among 7 held for Durga Puja stampede that killed 19, Shah visits injured in hospital

PTI, Oct 18, 2026, Kolkata: Kolkata Police have arrested seven people, including organisers of the Chorbagan Durga Puja, in connection with the stampede that killed 19 people and injured 24, a senior officer said on Sunday.

Police have also registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Law enforcers detained 14 people on Saturday night in connection with their probe into the incident.

"We have arrested seven people. They were among the 14 detained last night. More arrests may be made," the IPS officer told PTI.

"The process of identifying the bodies is under way," he added.

The stampede occurred at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, the day of Maha Saptami, following a crowd surge amid rain.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari earlier said, "An SIT headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court will investigate the incident. The SIT will comprise members from STF, CID and other departments."

The Anti-Rowdy Section (ARS) of Kolkata Police has collected CCTV footage of the area during the incident.

"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.

According to the family members of two of the deceased, the blowing of a whistle by private security guards in the pandal area led to a rush among the people waiting to visit the pandal, the Chief Minister said.

"It is a painful incident, and we are doing whatever is required. The Chorbagan Durga Puja organisers, private security guards and on-duty staff have been detained," he said.

He said that the stampede site had been handed over to the forensic department, the police STF and the Fire Brigade for investigation.

The chief minister urged all theme-based Durga Puja organisers to ensure proper lighting at the venue and adequate entry and exit gates for visitors.

"Many pandals are dimly lit in the name of theme puja," he said, urging the organisers to follow the advice of the authorities.

"Lives of people are more valuable than themes," the CM said.

A large number of Durga Puja organisers in Kolkata and other places in the state compete with each other to make their pandals more attractive by setting up theme-based creations.