Chorbagan pandal stampede: Mismanagement, confusing announcements led to mishap, says Kolkata Police

Relatives of victims killed in a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal gather outside a mortuary in Kolkata on October 18, 2026. Photo credit: PTI

Lack of crowd control and misleading announcements after a sudden downpour during Saptami celebrations may have created panic among visitors, leading to a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, a senior police officer said on Sunday (Oct 18, 2026).

Circumstantial evidence, along with the statements of local residents and eyewitnesses, suggest that inadequate crowd control contributed to the incident at the pandal on Saturday (October 17, 2026) evening, he said.

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The police also found that the number of police officers and private security guards deployed at the site was inadequate, which worsened the situation.

“We have collected enough evidence pointing to gross mismanagement by the puja organisers. There was no clear plan to handle the large number of visitors and everything was handled verbally. We collected CCTV camera footage, recorded accounts from local residents and eyewitnesses and confirmed our findings. The security staff was inadequate,” a police officer told PTI.

“Due to mismanagement, people tried to escape through the entrance gate during the stampede. Both the gate and the driveway were narrow, which contributed to the accident,” he said, adding that announcements about entry, exit and crowd movement were inadequate, leaving visitors confused during the rush.

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“We have a video recording of an announcement asking people to leave the pandal on the grounds that the structure was about to collapse. We are trying to identify who made the announcement and what led to it,” the officer said.

Locals also alleged that police deployment at the pandal was inadequate, claiming that personnel were mainly stationed near the VIP entrance.

A team of forensic experts visited the pandal on Saturday evening and collected evidence from the spot, he said.

“Another team of forensic experts will visit the pandal today to collect more evidence. Police officers from our detective department will also visit the place as part of the investigation,” he said.

Kolkata police also plan to question the survivors as part of the investigation, the IPS officer said.

“We need first-hand accounts to verify the findings based on the statements of local residents and other eyewitnesses. It will help our investigation,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand imposed bans under Section 163 on roads adjacent to the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata on Sunday morning.

The order prohibits assembly on the roads around the venue, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Bowbazar police station. The restrictions will remain in effect until October 20.

Nineteen people were killed and 25 others injured in a stampede at a pandal on Saturday night after a crowd surged amid rain.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that the state government would provide a compensation of Rs 25 crore and a Group D government job to the family of each deceased victim.

He also ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a Calcutta High Court judge, to probe the incident.

Published – 18 Oct 2026 10:05 AM IST