Kolkata stampede: Bengal plans to seek Calcutta HC judge

The West Bengal government plans to seek a sitting Calcutta High Court judge to lead an inquiry into the Kolkata stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal on 17 October 2026. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the government would write to the Chief Justice requesting a nomination, according to Outlook India. The Times of India reported that 19 people died and 25 were injured in the incident. ^[1][2]

Separately, Adhikari announced a high-level committee to review crowd management, exit routes and structural safety at major Durga Puja pandals across West Bengal, National Herald reported. That panel is intended to recommend safety guidelines, while the proposed judge-led investigation would examine the circumstances of the Chorbagan incident. ^[3]

The distinction matters: the Chief Minister’s announcement is not a Calcutta High Court order appointing a judge. Outlook’s account describes a proposed request to the Chief Justice. It does not identify a nominated judge or establish that the court has approved the arrangement. ^[1]

Judge-led inquiry proposed as police make arrests

Adhikari said the special investigation team, or SIT, would include officials from the Special Task Force, Criminal Investigation Department and other departments, according to Outlook. An SIT is a team assembled to investigate a particular matter; the proposed judicial leadership remains dependent on the nomination sought by the government. ^[1]

Police have meanwhile arrested seven people, including the puja committee’s secretary and vice-president, The Tribune reported, citing a senior police officer speaking to PTI. The officer said they were among 14 people detained during the night after the stampede. The arrested group also included people responsible for the bamboo structure and crowd management, and two employees of a private security agency. ^[4]

According to that report, Kolkata Police registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Here, suo motu means police initiated the case on their own. The offence recorded in the case is an allegation, not a judicial finding that any arrested person caused the deaths. ^[4]

Kolkata Police’s Anti-Rowdy Section has collected CCTV footage. Adhikari said investigators would examine the conduct of those managing the crowd, including organisers, police personnel, temporary workers and private security staff, according to Outlook. That stated scope extends beyond the puja committee, but does not establish wrongdoing by any of those groups. ^[1]

Rain and crowd movement under examination

The Times of India placed the incident at around 7.30 pm at the north Kolkata pandal. Its account described people entering for shelter during a sudden downpour while those already inside struggled to leave. The administration subsequently sealed the venue, the newspaper reported. ^[2]

Accounts differ on what immediately triggered the surge. Outlook reported a police officer’s account that people waiting outside rushed forward when rain began. It also reported Adhikari’s statement that an announcement by organisers prompted a sudden movement in the crowd. The Tribune separately reported the Chief Minister attributing to relatives of two deceased people an account involving a whistle blown by private security guards. ^[1][4]

Those accounts do not establish a single, settled sequence. They concern potentially different moments in the crowd’s movement, and the available reporting does not resolve their relationship. Outlook reported that the precise sequence and the role of any crowd-management lapses remained under investigation. ^[1]

West Bengal minister Umesh Rai alleged shortcomings by the organisers and security agency, according to The Times of India. He described continued entry into the pandal while rain impeded departures, but also said the SIT would investigate the circumstances. His account was a minister’s assessment, not an inquiry finding. ^[2]

Safety review to cover exits and structures

The wider safety committee will be led by Principal Secretary of Disaster Management Rajesh Sinha, Director General of Fire Services Anuj Sharma and Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Javed Shamim, according to National Herald’s account of the Chief Minister’s announcement. Its remit covers prominent puja venues across the state, rather than only Chorbagan. ^[3]

Adhikari also urged theme-based puja organisers to provide adequate lighting and sufficient entry and exit gates, The Tribune reported. He criticised dim lighting used as part of themed displays and asked organisers to follow the authorities’ advice. ^[4]

Outlook reported that authorities advised popular theme-based pandals to close temporarily to prevent further crowding. That account describes advice to those venues, not a statewide closure order covering every Durga Puja pandal. ^[1]

State compensation and central relief announced

The state government announced Rs 25 lakh and a Group D government job for each deceased person’s family, according to Outlook. Adhikari also announced Rs 5 lakh for each injured person and said the government would cover their full treatment costs at a hospital of their choice. These were announced commitments; the report does not establish completed payments or appointments. ^[1]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi separately announced assistance from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. The Prime Minister’s Office said the next of kin of each person who died would receive Rs 2 lakh, while each injured person would receive Rs 50,000. Modi expressed condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery. ^[5]

References

1. outlookindia.com. Kolkata Durga Puja Pandal Stampede: SIT To Be Headed By Sitting …
2. timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Kolkata Durga Puja Stampede Live Updates: 17 dead, 25 injured as rain …
3. nationalheraldindia.com. Bengal forms high-level panel to review puja safety after Kolkata stampede.
4. tribuneindia.com. Kolkata tragedy: Organisers among 7 held for Durga Puja stampede that …
5. pmindia.gov.in. PM expresses grief over loss of lives in stampede in Kolkata.