Stampede at Kolkata Durga Puja venue kills 19, injures 25 as rain pours

Around 7.30 pm on the seventh day of the Durga Puja festival, a sudden surge of worshippers in the cramped Chor Bagan pandal in north Kolkata triggered a deadly stampede. Heavy rain made the streets slick, and the narrow bylane became a bottleneck, leading to 19 deaths and 25 injuries. The incident prompted political commentary, as the Trinamool Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of bearing responsibility.

In a separate development, Chief Justice Surya Kant emphasized that young people questioning institutions reflects a healthy democratic spirit. The disaster has sparked calls for improved crowd management at future festival sites.