Kolkata Durga Puja stampede: Bengal CM Adhikari defends private hospital shift
Synopsis
Nineteen people died and 25 were injured in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata — and now Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari is defending a decision that drew sharp criticism: sending the injured to a private hospital. His candid admission that government hospitals have two years' worth of catching up to do makes this as much a story about public health infrastructure as it is about crowd management failure.
Key Takeaways
A stampede at the Chorebagan Sarbojonin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata killed 19 people and injured at least 25 on the night of the first Saptami .
14 injured were shifted to a private hospital; CM Suvendu Adhikari says no one died after the transfer.
The Chief Minister acknowledged government hospital shortcomings, estimating a two-year timeline to fix infrastructure gaps.
Seven people have been arrested in connection with the stampede.
Eyewitnesses alleged police failed to manage crowds and that emergency teams were slow to respond.
CM Adhikari called for an inquiry into whether doctors who questioned the referral were on duty at the time.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday, 20 October defended the decision to transfer injured victims of the Chorebagan Durga Puja pandal stampede in Kolkata to a private hospital, saying the move was made to prevent further deaths after 19 people were killed in the tragedy.
CM's Visit to Swasthya Bhavan Control Room
On the night of Navami — the ninth and final day of Navratri — Chief Minister Adhikari made a surprise visit to the control room of Swasthya Bhavan in Kolkata's Salt Lake area, where he monitored hospitals across the city and the state via a large display screen. State Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee was also present during the review.
Addressing journalists who questioned the referral to a private facility, the Chief Minister said: 'We decided to send the injured to private hospitals on the spot so that the death toll does not increase. Then the death toll did not increase.' He further noted: 'Not a single person died after being sent to a private hospital. Earlier, many died during treatment. That did not happen after they were shifted.'
Admission of Government Hospital Shortcomings
Chief Minister Adhikari acknowledged deficiencies in the state's government hospital infrastructure, stating it would take roughly two years to bring them up to private-sector standards. He attributed the challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in West Bengal being only six months old, saying the administration had inherited long-standing systemic gaps.
Notably, this admission comes at a politically sensitive time, with opposition voices already scrutinising the state's emergency-response capabilities in the wake of the stampede.
The Chorebagan Stampede: What Happened
On the night of the first Saptami (Saturday), a stampede broke out at the Chorebagan Sarbojonin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata, killing 19 people and injuring at least 25. Of those injured, 14 were subsequently shifted to a private hospital. Seven people have been arrested in connection with the incident.
Eyewitnesses and visitors expressed outrage at the police and administration, alleging that law enforcement failed to manage the crowd adequately at the pandal. There were also reports that police and the disaster management team were slow to arrive and assist in rescue operations after the incident occurred.
CM Raises Questions Over Doctors' Conduct
Chief Minister Adhikari also said it should be investigated whether the doctors and junior doctors who publicly raised concerns about the referral decision were actually on duty at the time of the incident. He added that abandoning one's post while on duty is against the rules and, in his words, 'humanely wrong.'
Health Preparedness Review for Remaining Puja Days
The Chief Minister used the control room visit to review the health department's readiness for any emergencies during the remaining days of Durga Puja celebrations. With large gatherings expected to continue, the administration is under pressure to demonstrate improved crowd and emergency management. How the government responds to accountability demands in the coming days will shape the political and administrative fallout from the Chorebagan tragedy.
Point of View
By his own admission, years away from handling mass-casualty events. Blaming a six-month-old government for inherited deficiencies is a legitimate argument, but it does not address why crowd-management protocols at a major Kolkata pandal failed so catastrophically. The CM's move to question whether protesting doctors were on duty shifts focus away from systemic failure — a classic accountability deflection that is unlikely to satisfy the families of 19 victims. The real accountability test will come when the arrested seven face trial and the crowd-management lapses are examined independently.
NationPress
21 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people died in the Kolkata Durga Puja stampede?
19 people died in the stampede at the Chorebagan Sarbojonin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on the night of the first Saptami. At least 25 others were injured, of whom 14 were shifted to a private hospital.
Why were stampede victims sent to a private hospital instead of a government one?
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the decision was made on the spot to prevent further deaths, noting that no one died after being transferred to the private facility. He also acknowledged shortcomings in government hospital infrastructure that he said would take around two years to address.
Who is Suvendu Adhikari and what is his role in this?
Suvendu Adhikari is the Chief Minister of West Bengal, heading the BJP state government that has been in office for six months. He visited the Swasthya Bhavan control room in Salt Lake on Navami night to monitor hospital preparedness and responded to criticism over the handling of the Chorebagan stampede.
What action has been taken following the Chorebagan stampede?
Seven people have been arrested in connection with the incident. The Chief Minister also called for an inquiry into whether doctors who publicly questioned the hospital referral decision were on duty at the time of the stampede.
What were the main failures alleged by eyewitnesses at the Chorebagan pandal?
Eyewitnesses alleged that police failed to manage the crowd properly at the Durga Puja pandal, and that police and the disaster management team were slow to reach the site and assist in rescue operations after the stampede occurred.
