A crucial high-level meeting is underway at the West Bengal Police Headquarters, Bhawani Bhavan, where the Chief Minister is reviewing the ongoing investigation into the recent stampede incident. Senior police officers, the Director General of Police, and Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Aggarwal are present to address the crisis. Taking lessons from the disaster in Kolkata, the administration is focusing heavily on safety and security measures for pandal hoppers across districts including Malda, Howrah, and Siliguri. Discussions are centered on chalking out strategies and precautionary steps to manage huge congregations throughout the remainder of the Durga Puja celebrations under direct official supervision.
A massive stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata claimed the lives of at least 19 people, including 13 women and six minors, while leaving over 25 others injured. The mishap occurred after heavy rainfall caused visitors to rush into the pandal for shelter, creating a severe choke point at the narrow exit lane where wet staircases caused people to slip and get crushed. Families of the victims have severely blamed the Puja organizers and local administration for poor crowd management, narrow passage lanes, and inadequate lighting. Following the incident, police registered an FIR at the Girish Park Police Station, arrested seven individuals including the committee's secretary and vice president, and imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita around the area.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the injured individuals undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital alongside local leaders after canceling his scheduled events and prior engagements across West Bengal for the day. Before heading to the hospital, Shah offered prayers at the Kalighat Temple. Meanwhile, political friction intensified as various parties traded blame over crowd management failures and VIP security priorities during the festivities.
In response to the tragedy, both central and state authorities announced financial relief for the affected families. The Centre announced an ex-gratia of two lakh rupees for the next of kin of the deceased, alongside 50,000 rupees for each injured victim, while the state government announced compensation of 25 lakh rupees and a government job for the families of the victims. Several other pandals experiencing heavy footfalls have been temporarily closed as a precautionary measure as the administration scrambles to prevent further incidents.