Kolkata: At least 17 people died and 25 others were injured in a stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said.
One of the injured was in critical condition, Adhikari said, adding that 17 people were brought dead to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.
According to a police officer, the incident occurred after rain prompted a crowd waiting outside the pandal to rush forward. Some people fell onto the road, triggering the stampede-like situation. An announcement by the organisers had also contributed to the rush, the chief minister said.
Disaster management personnel were deployed at the site, while Adhikari, Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal, Health Minister Saradwat Mukherjee and other officials visited the hospital where the injured were being treated.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased person and ₹50,000 for each injured person.
Modi said the incident was deeply distressing and that the local administration was providing assistance to those affected. He also conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah postponed his scheduled programmes in West Bengal for Sunday and said he would visit the injured in hospital. Shah said he had spoken with Adhikari and that arrangements were being made to ensure the best possible medical treatment for those injured.
Shah was scheduled to visit Belur Math, Durga Puja pandals in Howrah and Kolkata, and other religious sites before returning to Delhi.
President Droupadi Murmu also expressed sorrow over the deaths and extended condolences to the bereaved families, praying for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan said he was deeply anguished by the tragedy and conveyed condolences to the families who lost loved ones.
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock over the incident and prayed for the recovery of those injured and strength for their families.
The circumstances surrounding the crowd surge are yet to be fully established.
