India: Stampede kills at least 19 in Calcutta

India is in shock, mourning a tragedy. At least 19 people died and around twenty others were injured on Saturday in Calcutta, during a stampede that occurred when sudden rain fell on a Hindu religious gathering, local authorities announced.

Suvendhu Adhikari, a senior West Bengal state official, said a seven-year-old girl was among the dead. “My condolences to the bereaved families. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured,” responded Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Frequent deadly crowd movements

An announcement caused "unrest" when it started raining in the evening and the crowd present for the Durga Puja festival "started pushing, pulling and rushing forward, before falling to the ground, which led to a stampede", said a senior police official present at the scene.

Deadly crowd movements are common at large gatherings in India, particularly during religious festivals, due to poor organization and security failures.

In 2025, a stampede during a religious festival left 30 dead and several injured. The same year, 36 people died following a stampede during an election rally in the state of Tamil Nadu. And in 2024, 121 people died in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh during a Hindu religious gathering.