NEW DELHI: At least 19 people died and 25 others were injured in a stampede at Kolkata’s Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal on Saturday evening.The stampede occurred after a sudden downpour triggered a crowd surge, with hundreds of visitors rushing into the pandal for shelter and trapping those already inside.West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari blamed the incident on the organisers’ callousness and appealed to puja committees across Kolkata to adopt safety measures.“It’s a painful incident and extremely heartbreaking,” Adhikari said.“As per initial information received, the incident happened due to an announcement made by the puja committee. Right now our priority is to treat the 25 people who have been injured. Among them, 24 are stable but one is critical. We are standing by the affected families. The Chorbagan puja pandal has been handed over to forensic teams, STF and fire brigade,” he added.Here’s what we know so far about the incident.Locals blame sudden rain, narrow space and lack of police personnel for stampedeLocals, who were among the first responders, said sudden rainfall, narrow lanes, a heavy rush of visitors and a lack of adequate volunteers and police personnel for crowd management contributed to the stampede.They said heavy rain forced people inside the pandal to wait for the weather to improve, while visitors outside grew restless and tried to rush into the already crowded marquee.Pramod Gupta, who lives near the Chorbagan puja pandal on Radha Madhav Lane, said the queue of visitors to the marquee had stretched to Mahatma Gandhi Road, about 700 metres away.“Everything was fine till the rain started,” he told news agency PTI.“Standing in front of my house, I could hear screams as people rushed out. I and my daughters helped four girls and asked them to stay in our house till the situation eased,” he said.Locals also said narrow lanes and a lack of police personnel and volunteers inside the pandal hampered the swift rescue of the injured.“Ambulances could not reach the spot, and the injured had to be carried out to the main thoroughfare some distance away,” a woman told PTI.“We started the rescue work by breaking the bamboo structures and barricades of the pandal,” another local man alleged.High-level committee reviews pandalsA high-level committee formed to review safety arrangements at major Durga Puja marquees across West Bengal began visiting community puja pandals on Sunday.The panel includes disaster management secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and director general of fire services Anuj Sharma.The panel members will visit several crowd-puller Durga Puja pandals across Kolkata to review safety and security norms and crowd management plans, sources told PTI.The administration has stressed the need for wider exit points, adequate lighting and the removal of bottlenecks caused by temporary rope enclosures.7 arrestedKolkata Police have arrested seven people, including organisers of the Chorbagan Durga Puja, a senior officer said.Police have also registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.“We have arrested seven people. They were among the 14 detained last night. More arrests may be made,” the IPS officer told PTI.“Rajkumar Seoda and Shantanu Dubey were the secretary and vice-president, respectively, of the Chorbagan Puja committee. Biplab Mukhopadhyay was responsible for installing the bamboo structure at the pandal, while Kaushik Saha and Pintu De were in charge of crowd management,” the officer said.Those arrested include the puja committee’s secretary and vice-president, as well as two employees of a private security agency, among others, he said.Victims’ bodies handed over to kinAuthorities handed over the bodies of those killed in the stampede to their family members on Sunday.Among the victims was a 27-year-old nurse whose mortal remains were taken to her native place in Hooghly. Her relative told news agency ANI that she had gone to the pandal after completing her duty.“After doing her duty, she went to watch the puja (worship/festival) with her friend,” he said.The West Bengal government has announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a job for the family of each deceased person. The Special Task Force (STF) has also initiated an investigation to establish accountability.12 patients stableTwelve of the 14 patients admitted to Apollo Hospital in Salt Lake following the stampede are stable, with most expected to be discharged on Monday, Dr Narayan Banerjee said.Providing an update on the patients’ condition, Dr Banerjee told ANI that five were in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), while the remaining patients were being treated in the ward. He added that two patients continued to require closer monitoring.“Amit Shah ji came; it’s a very good thing because the government has done whatever is possible. Except for two patients, all the others are stable. Of the 14 patients admitted, five are in the ICU, and the rest are in the ward,” Dr Banerjee said.“I think most of them will be discharged tomorrow, and a few who require surgery will remain here. Except for one patient who has a fractured pelvis and urethra, the others do not have very serious injuries or internal injuries so far. A young child, aged 13, was also admitted. She is fine,” he added.
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Amit Shah visits injuredUnion home minister Amit Shah and Suvendu Adhikari visited the injured undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital earlier on Sunday.Shah had earlier expressed condolences to the families of those killed, describing the stampede as “extremely distressing”. He also said he had spoken to Adhikari to take stock of the situation.Following the incident, Kolkata Police imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, in parts of the city from October 18 to October 20 to maintain law and order and prevent untoward incidents.The order was issued amid concerns over possible demonstrations, rallies and meetings that could affect public order and safety.
