The death toll from Saturday night’s catastrophic crowd crush at the Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal has risen to 19, making it one of the deadliest festive tragedies in West Bengal’s recent history.

A Kolkata court on Sunday remanded seven arrested members of the Puja organizing committee, including general secretary Raj Kumar Sewda, to 10 days of police custody.

They face severe charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The disaster unfolded during heavy, sudden monsoon downpours in North Kolkata’s congested Burrabazar area.

According to eyewitness accounts and survival testimonies, thousands of devotees rushed toward the covered pandal structure simultaneously to escape the rain.

Death Toll Rises To 19 In Kolkata Durga Puja Pandal Stampede; Prohibitory Order Around Chorbagan

The situation turned fatal when organizers panickingly announced over the loudspeakers that the bamboo structure was failing and about to collapse. The misleading announcement triggered an immediate, blind stampede toward the venue’s single functional exit.

A breakdown of the casualties highlights the vulnerability of the crowd caught in the exit bottleneck.

Out of the 19 deceased, 13 are women and six are minors.

Hospital authorities at Kolkata Medical College and RG Kar Hospital confirmed that 25 individuals were admitted with severe crush injuries and asphyxiation. Two victims remain on life support in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Kolkata Police investigators revealed that the Chorebagan committee bypassed multiple mandatory safety protocols. While structural guidelines demand wide, unobstructed entry and exit paths, the narrow alleyway leading to the pandal was blocked by commercial barricades and dropped ropes.

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Furthermore, the private security personnel hired by the committee completely abandoned their crowd-control posts when the panic escalated.

In the wake of the tragedy, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced a high-level Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the lapses.

The state government has also ordered the immediate closure of several other high-footfall “mega-puja” pandals across the city to prevent secondary disasters.

Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS remain enforced around the disaster site, barring public gatherings as forensic teams continue their investigation. Financial ex-gratia packages of ₹2 lakh for the families of the deceased have been announced by both the Central and State governments.