[Today’s Prayer] Stampede at Hindu Festival in Kolkata, India, Leaves 19 Dead and 25 Injured (Updated)

A stampede occurred at a Hindu festival in India after sudden rainfall, leaving 19 people dead and 25 injured.

According to AFP and China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency on the 18th (local time), the stampede occurred the previous day at a Hindu festival called Durga Puja in Kolkata, in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal. Suvendu Adhikari, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, said that 19 people, including a seven-year-old girl, had died and 25 had been injured. One of the injured was in critical condition.

A senior local police official told AFP, “Chaos broke out after it started raining at night.” The official explained, “People began pushing and pulling one another as they rushed forward, eventually falling to the ground and causing a stampede.”

(Excerpt)

Indian police have obtained CCTV footage from the festival grounds and detained 10 people, including event organizers and private security personnel, as they continue investigating the exact circumstances of the incident. Chief Minister Adhikari stated, “There were several shortcomings in the preparations made by the event organizers,” adding, “Anyone found to have been negligent will face legal action.”

Durga Puja is the largest festival in the Kolkata region, held in honor of Durga, a Hindu goddess. During the festival, large numbers of worshippers gather at temporary structures called pandals, which house images of Durga.

India, with a population of 1.47 billion, is the most populous country in the world. Stampedes frequently occur when large crowds gather in public places, including religious sites and festival grounds. In January of last year, a stampede at the Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious festival and a major Hindu gathering, killed more than 30 people. In June of the same year, tens of thousands gathered to celebrate the victory of a team in cricket, India’s most popular sport, resulting in 11 deaths and more than 40 injuries.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

“O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody with all my being ... Grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.” (Psalm 108:1, 6)

We hear the news that a stampede at a Hindu festival in Kolkata, India, has left 19 people dead and 25 injured.

Lord, please comfort the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy, and send people who can share the gospel with them so that they may encounter the true God who leads people to life.

As India is the most populous country in the world and has experienced stampedes in various locations in the past, may the government establish a clear and effective system to prevent such tragedies and prepare for similar incidents in the future.

God, may the influence of Hinduism, which has a strong hold over India, lose its power, and may the people of India repent and come under Your rule through the gospel. May the people of India, who seek salvation before the 330 million deities of Hinduism, find salvation in the name of Jesus Christ, the one and only Truth.

May India now set its heart on praising Jesus alone with all its heart and serving the nations of the world.

For this purpose, awaken the Indian church to pray first, and let revival break out across India through worship and prayer. May the Indian church care for all those who have lost family members after gathering to worship false idols, and may it share the love of Jesus with them through the truth and the gospel.

May churches around the world send out even more workers who will serve according to Your vision, so that a missionary revival may arise throughout India.

May one million missionaries and young people for Jesus rise up in India to prepare the way for the return of our Lord!