At least 17 killed in stampede at religious gathering in India

Incident took place at festival in Kolkata, in India’s West Bengal state, amid large crowds and rainfall, police say.

A “stampede” during a Hindu religious festival in eastern India has killed at least 19 people and injured 25 others, officials said.

The stampede in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, happened on Saturday night when a crowd near a pavilion ran for cover as it began raining during Durga Puja, an annual Hindu festival celebrating the goddess Durga.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who visited Kolkata Medical College and Hospital where victims were taken, said 19 people had died and 25 were receiving treatment.

He announced that a special investigation team to be headed by a judge of the state’s high court would look into the disaster.

Police detained some pavilion organisers, private security personnel and on-duty staff, and launched a probe into any crowd-control and safety lapses.

Police said the injured were taken to hospital from a Durga Puja pandal, a temporary pavilion housing idols of the goddess Durga at a festival which attracts thousands of ⁠⁠⁠⁠devotees.

A police statement said the stampede happened in the evening due to “heavy crowds of pandal hoppers amid rainfall”.

A senior police official at the scene told the AFP news agency that an announcement caused “commotion” after it started raining and the “crowd waiting outside the pandal [pavilion] was pushing, pulling and rushing forward and fell on the ground, leading to the stampede.”

“Condolences to the bereaved families. Wishing the injured a speedy recovery. The West Bengal Government is providing all possible help to the affected families,” Modi wrote on X.

⁠Modi’s office announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,106) for the next of kin of those who died and ‌50,000 rupees ($527) each for the injured.

Interior Minister Amit Shah said the “administration is ensuring that all possible medical facilities are being provided to the injured”.

About 3,500 Durga Puja pavilions have been set up across Kolkata for the festival. Following the stampede, authorities advised several of Kolkata’s most heavily attended venues to temporarily close to visitors.

Deadly crowd incidents happen frequently at Indian mass events, such as religious festivals, often due to poor management and safety lapses.

Last year, a stampede at India’s Kumbh Mela religious fair killed 30 people and injured several others. In Bengaluru, 11 fans were crushed to death during celebrations for the local cricket team’s first Indian Premier League title.

In southern Tamil Nadu state, 36 people were killed in a stampede at a campaign rally for a popular actor-turned-politician.

In 2024, 121 people were killed in northern Uttar Pradesh state during a Hindu religious gathering.