West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday announced compensation of ₹25 lakh each for the families of those killed in the Kolkata Durga Puja stampede and said an inquiry report into the incident would be made public within a month to 45 days of its submission.
The chief minister said 19 people had died in the incident, including 18 residents of West Bengal. He added that six people had been arrested under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and were currently in police custody.
Of the 25 injured, two remain in the intensive care unit (ICU), while the discharge process for the remaining 23 has begun following medical treatment, Adhikari said.
Magistrate-rank officers have been deployed at different locations to facilitate the handover of the deceased to their families and accompany them to the cremation grounds. Teams comprising civil administration officials, police personnel and local MLAs will assist the bereaved families until the cremation rituals are completed.
Sitting Judge To Lead Probe, SIT Proposed
Adhikari said a sitting judge would conduct the inquiry into the stampede and assured that the findings would be made public within a month to a month and a half after the report was submitted.
The state government is also planning to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the leadership of a sitting judge. The chief secretary will write to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court seeking permission to form the team, he said.
Taking a swipe at the previous CPI(M)- and Trinamool Congress-led governments, Adhikari alleged that reports submitted by inquiry commissions during their tenures had not been made public.
'Entire Government Is Monitoring Situation'
Defending the administration's response, Adhikari said he was personally monitoring the situation with the chief secretary, home secretary, police commissioner, director general of police and other senior officials. The Governor and the Union Home Minister had also visited the hospital, he added.
"Have you ever seen a Chief Minister stay in a hospital all night? Can you recall any such instance from your own experience?" Adhikari said, highlighting the government's response to the incident.
He added that the administration was focused on managing the situation rather than celebrating the festive occasion, posting on social media or making statements blaming others.
Safety Measures For Immersion Process Reviewed
The chief minister said precautionary arrangements for idol immersion along riverbanks and the use of traditional, non-motorised boats had been reviewed following the incident. He stressed that public safety during the Durga Puja festivities remained paramount and that potential shortcomings had been examined.
Adhikari also said the practice of issuing VIP cards in exchange for money had been stopped, although restrictions on lanes for VIP movement had not been completely eliminated. He said the remaining restrictions would be phased out by next year.
Referring to previous incidents, the chief minister cited the deaths of 13 people during heavy rainfall in October 2025 and 100 people in an earlier Darjeeling disaster, questioning how the previous administrations had handled those situations.
