Large crowds had gathered outside a pavilion, known as a pandal, for Durga Puja in Kolkata when sudden rain began on Saturday night. The annual Hindu festival celebrates the goddess Durga.
A senior police official told AFP that an announcement after the rain started caused commotion. The official said people waiting outside the pavilion began pushing, pulling and rushing forward. Worshippers fell to the ground as the crowd surged and were trampled.
At least 19 people were killed and 25 injured in the stampede near the pavilion in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state.
Witnesses said the rainfall had prompted people to rush for shelter. Videos recorded before the stampede showed large crowds waiting to enter the pavilion in narrow lanes that allowed only a few people to walk through at a time.
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Among those killed was a seven-year-old girl.
Victims were taken to Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, which Adhikari later visited. An injured police officer was among those moved on stretchers to a local hospital, while the Press Trust of India said nine bodies had been released to their families.
Police took closed-circuit footage from the festival. Authorities said they would act against people seen on CCTV who appeared to have failed in their crowd-control responsibilities.
Adhikari said a special investigation team, headed by a judge of the state's high court, would investigate the disaster.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as tragic, offered condolences to bereaved families and wished those injured a speedy recovery. He said the regional government was providing help to affected families.
The disaster follows another deadly crush at a Hindu religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh two years ago, when 121 people were killed.
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