Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting at Bhabani Bhawan and announced that he will visit families of those killed in the Durga Puja pandal stampede to hand over compensation cheques on October 20 and 21.
He also informed that personnel from the Kolkata Police, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), State Fire Services Department have been kept out of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe their role in the stampede. According to him, one out of 19 dead was from Bihar.
“One of the 19 deceased is from Bihar. The process of handing over the bodies has begun. Two of the injured admitted to the ICU have suffered bone fractures, while the remaining 23 are fit for discharge. I will visit the family of every deceased person within two days and personally hand over the compensation cheque,” said CM Adhikari.
He continued, “After an incident like this, the necessary precautions should be taken. This is a large state with a population of 10.5 to 11 crore, and everyone is celebrating the puja festival. We must ensure the safety of others. The lapses have been reviewed. Of the 19 people who died, 18 were residents of West Bengal. For every deceased person, a team comprising a civil administration official, a police administration official and the local MLA will stay with the family until the cremation.”
On the arrangements at the puja pandal, CM Adhikari said, “These are people (civic volunteers) recruited in 2024-25. They (the administration) hire people every year, and this time they were taken from the old list. No new person was brought in. We have asked for the list, and it should be scrutinised. It would not be right to blame them without examining the facts. It started raining, and the rope was released. There were no proper two-lane arrangements there. A temporary passage had been created using ropes, forming a chain. That chain broke, and everyone got mixed up.”
Elaborating on the steps that have been taken so far following the incident, CM Adhikari said, “Seven individuals have been arrested and are currently in police custody under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The Governor visited the hospital, as did the Union Home Minister. I am personally monitoring the situation with the assistance of the Chief Secretary, the Commissioner of Police, the Home Secretary, the Director General of Police (DGP), and others. The entire government is actively engaged. We are not celebrating the holiday, nor are we posting anything on social media. We are not making statements to the press assigning blame to others.”
The Chief Minister further said, “An SIT (Special Investigation Team) is also being formed, which will operate under the leadership of a sitting judge. The Chief Secretary will write to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. If permission is granted, we will constitute the SIT as soon as possible.”
CM Adhikari added that on October 26, during the Bijaya Sammilani event, the government will pay tribute to the 19 people who lost their lives and cheques of Rs 5 lakh each will also be handed over to the families of the 25 injured people at the same event.
The police on Sunday arrested seven people, including organisers, in connection with the stampede at the Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja Pandal in Kolkata, which claimed 19 lives.
A large number of devotees were injured following a stampede at the Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata as an excessive crowd flocked into the pandal arena to catch a glimpse of the idols. Chaos erupted at the Puja pandal after a portion of the exit gate structure collapsed. The injured were immediately rushed to Calcutta Medical College and Hospital and two other state hospitals. About 17 people were declared brought dead at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital, while 25 injured were admitted for treatment. The death toll reached 19 on Sunday.
–IANS–
