Kolkata Durga Puja stampede: Amit Shah visits hospital, 14 injured admitted
Synopsis
A stampede at Kolkata's Chorbagan Public Durga Puja pandal has killed 19 people, prompting Union Home Minister Amit Shah to cancel all his Durga Puja engagements and rush to the hospital where 14 survivors are admitted. With one patient in a serious but non-critical condition, West Bengal's Health Minister has expressed cautious hope that the death toll will not rise further.
Key Takeaways
A stampede at the Chorbagan Public Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata has claimed 19 lives .
Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the hospital on 18 October 2026 and met injured survivors, cancelling all other scheduled programmes.
14 individuals remain admitted; 13 are reported stable, while one is in a serious but not critical condition.
State Health Minister Dr Saradwat Mukherjee expressed hope that the death toll will not increase further.
Shah was accompanied by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya .
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, 18 October 2026, visited a private hospital in Kolkata to meet injured survivors of the stampede at the Chorbagan Public Durga Puja pandal, a tragedy that has claimed 19 lives. A total of 14 individuals remain admitted at the facility, with all but one reported to be in a stable condition.
Shah Cancels All Scheduled Programmes
Shah had arrived in Kolkata on Saturday night with a full schedule of Durga Puja-related engagements for Sunday, including a visit to Belur Math — the international headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission in Howrah district. In the wake of the stampede tragedy, he cancelled every scheduled programme. Instead, he first offered prayers at the iconic Kalighat temple in South Kolkata before proceeding to the hospital.
Who Accompanied the Home Minister
Shah was accompanied by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya. The delegation met injured devotees whose conditions were stable enough to allow the interaction, and also held discussions with hospital authorities regarding the medical status of all admitted patients.
What Amit Shah Said
Shah posted about the visit on social media, stating: 'I visited the hospital and met with the devotees injured in the accident at the Chorbagan Public Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata and inquired about their well-being. In this difficult time, the West Bengal government stands firmly with every injured person and affected family. I pray to Mother Durga that all the injured recover swiftly.'
Health Minister on Condition of the Injured
State Health Minister Dr Saradwat Mukherjee, himself a senior medical practitioner, confirmed that the conditions of 13 of the 14 admitted individuals are more or less stable and out of danger. Addressing the remaining patient, he said: 'Even the person whose condition is a bit serious, I will not use the word "crisis" for him. I am hopeful that the death toll will not increase further. I am personally monitoring the treatment arrangements of the injured people.'
What Happens Next
Shah is scheduled to return to New Delhi later on Sunday. The stampede at the Chorbagan pandal, which occurred during one of the busiest periods of the Durga Puja festival, has drawn national attention and raised urgent questions about crowd management at major public religious gatherings. Authorities are expected to launch a formal inquiry into the circumstances that led to the tragedy.
Point of View
But the more pressing question is accountability. Stampedes at large public pandals are a recurring hazard during festival season, and the Chorbagan tragedy — 19 dead in a crowd that should have had managed entry — points to systemic failures in crowd control protocols that no hospital visit can address. West Bengal has seen similar incidents before; the real measure of this visit will be whether it accelerates a formal inquiry and forces enforceable safety norms on organisers. The political optics of a BJP Home Minister and BJP Chief Minister arriving together are also hard to ignore in a state where the party is in a prolonged contest for influence.
NationPress
18 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata?
A stampede at the Chorbagan Public Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata killed 19 people and left at least 14 others hospitalised. The incident occurred during the Durga Puja festival, one of the most heavily attended public events in West Bengal.
Why did Amit Shah visit the Kolkata hospital?
Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the private hospital to meet survivors of the Chorbagan pandal stampede and inquire about their medical conditions. He cancelled all his other scheduled Durga Puja engagements on 18 October 2026 in response to the tragedy.
What is the current condition of the injured survivors?
According to state Health Minister Dr Saradwat Mukherjee, 13 of the 14 hospitalised individuals are in a stable, out-of-danger condition. One patient remains in a serious but not critical state, and Dr Mukherjee expressed hope that the death toll will not rise further.
Who accompanied Amit Shah to the hospital?
Shah was accompanied by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and BJP state president and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya during the hospital visit.
What did Amit Shah say about the stampede?
In a social media post, Shah said he met the injured devotees and inquired about their well-being, adding that 'the West Bengal government stands firmly with every injured person and affected family' and prayed for the swift recovery of all those hurt.
