Five months after Suvendu Adhikari became Chief Minister of West Bengal, he is facing his first major challenge in the state. The tragedy at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata has raised serious questions about crowd management, public safety, and the administration’s preparedness for one of Bengal’s biggest annual festivals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced compensation, as did the state government. This was one of the first steps announced in response to the tragedy. The incident was a major fiasco. Almost immediately, questions arose about what preventive measures had been taken to control the crowds. Crowd management is crucial during Durga Puja, when thousands of people visit pandals across Kolkata and other parts of West Bengal. The scale of this tragedy has made it particularly distressing. Following the Chorbagan stampede, Suvendu Adhikari spoke to Amit Shah, who cancelled his scheduled programmes and expressed his grief over the incident. Adhikari also went to the hospital, met the families of the victims, and blamed the tragedy on the callousness of the organisers. He appealed to Durga Puja organisers across Kolkata to take all necessary precautions to ensure public safety. He described the incident as painful and extremely heartbreaking.
At least 19 people died, and 25 others were injured in the stampede at Chorbagan on the evening of October 17, the first of the two Saptami days in the 2026 Durga Puja calendar, according to reports.
He said that he had spoken to a sitting judge and would arrange for an inquiry into the incident.
Within seconds, several people slipped and fell on top of one another, triggering a chain reaction, HT reported earlier. The immediate question being asked is: who is responsible? Coincidentally, Union Home Minister Amit Shah was in Kolkata at the same time. His schedule had included a visit to Palermath, as well as visits to and inaugurations of several Durga Puja pandals, including Shobhabazar Rajbari. The broader political objective was to connect with the Bengali cultural identity and the social traditions associated with Durga Puja. The Opposition has already begun a political campaign around the incident. Some members of the Chore Bagan Sarbojanin Durgatsav Samity, the management committee, have been arrested. Trinamool Congress (Mamata Banerjee faction) leader Kunal Ghosh has also raised questions about the police and the impartiality of the authorities. Nevertheless, the tragedy has created a serious challenge for his government, and the manner in which he responds will be closely watched.
Because the new government had taken a particular interest in the festival and had initiated changes in the way several puja committees were managed, this is especially significant during the present Durga Puja celebrations. Earlier reporting noted: Kolkata Durga Puja pandal stampede kills 19, organisers detained, TMC targets BJP | Top updates At least 19 people died, and 25 others were injured in a stampede at the Chorebagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on Saturday evening, West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari said, adding that he would write to the chief justice of the Calcutta high court and request the formation of a ‘fact-finding committee’. Earlier reporting noted: Located less than 2 km from Howrah Bridge, Chor Bagan is among Kolkata’s oldest Durga Puja pandals. News agency PTI reported, citing an officer, that 12 people had been detained so far.
Adhikari, meanwhile, has said that there will be no compromise on the matter and that appropriate arrangements will be made to ensure accountability. One account says that some of those concerned were absconding and that one person sought shelter at Girish Park police station. Suvendu Adhikari has said that he does not want the incident to become an occasion for political confrontation. Eyewitnesses said people seeking shelter from the rain rushed towards the venue through the narrow lane. Earlier reporting noted: Police detained “some people”, including members of the club that organised the puja, the private security agency and those responsible for managing the crowd at the pandal, Adhikari said.
Some committees previously associated with Trinamool Congress leaders and ministers were sidelined or reorganised, while new teams associated with the BJP came to the forefront.
