A stampede during a Hindu religious festival in Kolkata, eastern India, left 19 people dead and another 25 hurt. The stampede took place on Saturday, October 17, 2026, outside a pavilion hosting celebrations related to the festival of Durga Puja.
Speaking to reporters, Suvendhu Adhikari, a senior official of West Bengal, said that one of the deceased was a seven-year-old girl. The stampede happened as a large number of people were waiting outside the festival pavilion locally called* pandal*, and as heavy rain fell.
Initially, Adhikari reported a total of 17 deaths. But later, in a report carried by the Press Trust of India (PTI), it was reported that 19 people had died according to a later statement made by the same official. At the time of Adhikari’s officially making the comment, six of the deceased had been identified while PTI says nine of the deceased persons had been taken home.
Heavy rains falling and crowd was the reason for the deaths.
The officer stated that people were pushing, pulling, and rushing forward in the crowd. According to a report by The Indian Express, the footage from the incident shows a lot of people waiting to access the pavilion. The report says the area had narrow pathways which allowed only small amounts of people at a time, hence causing overcrowding.
After the stampede, the medical staff took the people who got hurt to several nearby hospitals using stretchers. It was reported that the relatives of the injured people were crying and hugging each other.
Narendra Modi expresses condolences
The prime minister of India has posted a short statement in his Facebook account in which he expressed his condolences on the stampede. He called it a very sad event.
He sent his sympathies to the families of the dead people and wished for an effective recovery to the injured.
Moreover, the police have secured the event’s CCTV recordings. Action is expected against those identifiable in the footage for failing to carry out their responsibility of controlling the crowds.
Reflection of Crowd Safety Concerns at Religious Events in India
The Kolkata incident has raised questions about crowd safety and management for larger public events in India, especially religious gatherings.
Further, various incidents have led to loss of lives in recent years. A stampede at the Kumbh Mela festival last year killed 30 people. In 2024, another stampede at a Hindu event in Uttar Pradesh has claimed 121 lives.
This incident raises the importance of the need for proper crowd-control systems and emergency planning measures to avoid overcrowding during glozing religious events.
