Kolkata Durga Puja pandal stampede: 7 accused sent to 10-day police custody, 19 dead

October 18, 2026

Kolkata: The Bankshall Court on Sunday remanded seven people arrested in connection with the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata, West Bengal, to 10-day police custody. Police had sought 14-day custody for the accused, but the court granted them police custody until October 28.

Defense lawyer MD Yassim Rahman claimed that the accused were outsiders who had come to witness the Durga Puja celebrations. According to him, when they saw the huge crowd and people in distress, they tried to assist in the rescue operations.

The lawyer told ANI that the police had sought custody of the accused until November 1, but the court granted custody only until October 28.

19 people killed, several injured in stampede

A stampede broke out at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata’s Chorbagan area on Saturday evening due to a large crowd gathering there. Nineteen people died and several others were injured in the tragic accident.

On Sunday, the bodies of those who lost their lives in the accident were handed over to their families. Following the incident, police arrested seven people in connection with the case.

The arrested accused include Puja Committee Secretary Raj Kumar Sewda alias Raja, Vice President Shantanu Dubey, and Biplab Mukherjee alias Joy, who was involved in the construction of the bamboo structure.

In addition, Kaushik Saha, who was involved in crowd management and VIP pass verification, Pintu Dey, who was involved in crowd management, and Suman Chakraborty and Rajesh Pal, who were working as private security personnel, have also been arrested.

Appeal to refrain from political rhetoric

West Bengal Opposition Leader Ritabrata Banerjee expressed grief over the incident and appealed to refrain from political accusations and counter-accusations. He said this is not the time for political blame, but to focus on the loss of loved ones.

He said that many people, including young children, lost their lives in this incident. Therefore, condolences should be expressed to the families of the victims first. He said that a political review of the incident could be conducted later.

Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy also described the accident as extremely painful and heartbreaking. He said that the Prime Minister responded immediately to the incident and took steps to assist the affected families. He also stressed the need to take appropriate precautions during events.

Congress leader demands an impartial investigation

Congress leader Suman Roy Chowdhury demanded an impartial investigation into the incident and the arrest of those responsible. He alleged that there was insufficient police deployment at the pandal and that the policemen were busy protecting BJP leaders.

He claimed that the police presence at the Chorbagan pandal was inadequate. Demanding action against the puja committee officials, the Congress leader said that the Kolkata Police should arrest those responsible within the next 72 hours.

These allegations have been made by a Congress leader; they have not been independently confirmed.

Case filed against organizers, STF to investigate

Kolkata Police have filed a suo motu case against those associated with the puja event and other accused under sections 105, 110, and 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code (BNSS). Police have also detained 14 other people for questioning.

Section 163 of the Indian Civil Safety Code (BNSS), 2023, has also been imposed in parts of Kolkata from October 18 to 20 to prevent potential unrest.

The West Bengal government has announced a compensation of ₹2.5 million (2.5 million rupees) and a job for one family member of each deceased. A Special Task Force (STF) has also launched an investigation to determine responsibility for the incident.