BJP leader blames Trinamool Congress for the worker death; Trinamool denies allegations

The arrested person was allegedly the announcer at the pandal; allegations came up that wrong announcement of the pandal collapse had triggered panic among people, which may have led to the stampede that left 19 people dead

The aggrieved families, which have been residing in the area for the past 30 years and converted to Christianity around 18 months ago, have also complained to police that they were forced to participate in certain religious rituals against their wishes, a senior officer told

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari gave hints that 64 of the MLAs of the rebel TMC faction will support him. BJP has 209 elected MLAs in the WB Legislative Assembly

Even as senior BJP leaders condemn the incidents, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari continues his criticism of the stalls

The targeting of book stalls run by Left parties is part of the political contest that has emerged in West Bengal since the BJP government came to power in May 2026

The remarks by the Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, come at a time after a section of leaders of his own party condemned attacks on the book stalls set up by the Left parties at Durga Puja pandals

"We moved those injured to private hospitals because we realised that the best treatment could be provided there so that there is no more loss of life. I am happy to announce that there was no death among the 25 injured in the stampede. We decided on the spot. There is nothing controversial behind this," says West Bengal CM

Suvendu Adhikari hands over a cheque of ₹25 lakh to relatives and assures government job for one person in every family

West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari spoke to the family members of Togor Bej (37) and Sandip Bej (14) and assured them of providing all possible assistance.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari continued to target the Left parties and said its supporters are trying to create anarchy in the country

The Mamata Trinamool Congress party questioned the recognition given to the puja, which had also won awards for best lighting, best pandal and best environment-friendly puja

“Stampede broke out after a misleading announcement was made by the organisers of the Durga Puja pandal,” says Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari

West Bengal’s first Durga Puja under the BJP government reflects a political shift, with changes in puja committee leadership, themes and a growing emphasis on religious traditions. Shiv Sahay Singh and Shrabana Chatterjee explore the festivities — from debates over food and cultural identity to restrictions on public spaces — to reveal how the new regime is reshaping the State’s political and cultural landscape

Party leaders have said that this is an attack on “free thinking” and have vowed to set up more stalls as a form of protest

The Chief Minister announced that new crowd management guidelines will be drawn after the stampede’s “lesson”.

The mother of the victim is a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA who had joined politics in an attempt to get justice for her daughter

The Krishnanagar MP had used photographs of the Chief Secretary (former CEO), calling him the chief architect of SIR which led to deletions of lakhs of voters