Kolkata Durga Puja pandal stampede: Suvendu Adhikari hands ₹25 lakh aid to bereaved families

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has personally visited the families of those killed in the Kolkata Durga Puja pandal stampede, delivering cheques of ₹25 lakh to each household alongside promises of government employment and long-term welfare support.

The tragedy unfolded on Saturday evening, 17 October, at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, claiming 19 lives and injuring 25 people as crowds surged through the venue.

Swift state relief across districts

Adhikari travelled through Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly, Nadia and Howrah to meet grieving relatives directly. In Purba Bardhaman's Madhavdighi area, he visited the home of 37-year-old Togor Bej and her 14-year-old son Sandip Bej, both of whom lost their lives in the crush.

"I have no words to console you, nor do I have the power to bring back those who have left us. I can feel your pain. I am giving you the ₹25 lakh ex gratia," Adhikari told the family.

From there, the Chief Minister visited Arambagh in Hooghly to comfort relatives of 25-year-old Piyali Pramanik, who was Togor Bej's sister-in-law. In Baidyabati, he met the family of Sriparna Poddar, 26, an only child who worked at a cancer hospital in Rajarhat. To secure the household's future, Adhikari instructed the local MLA to help Poddar's mother re-enter nursing employment and directed the district magistrate to arrange old-age pensions for both parents. Further visits took place in Chakdaha in Nadia district for 45-year-old Aarti Sarkar and Liluah in Howrah for 17-year-old Akriti Raut.

Administrative action and inquiry

To ensure complete impartiality and accountability, the West Bengal government has called for an independent inquiry headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court. The Chief Secretary wrote to the Chief Justice on Monday requesting the judicial appointment, specifically excluding officers from the Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation from the inquiry panel.

Police have arrested seven people in connection with the disaster, booking them under charges that include culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Tighter safety protocols enforced

The administration moved quickly to audit large gatherings across the city. A high-level committee has begun inspecting pandals to enforce mandatory safety norms and crowd controls.

The state government has also cancelled official festive celebrations this season, restricting observances solely to essential religious rituals as a mark of respect for the victims.