Kolkata stampede case: Police detain 12, including organisers, volunteers

Kolkata, October 18 (IANS) The police have detained 12 people, including organisers, volunteers and others, for questioning in connection with the stampede at the Chorebagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja Pandal in Kolkata, which claimed 19 lives.A forensic team arrived at the site of the stampede -- Muktarambabu Street in North Kolkata -- on Sunday. At least 25 injured are undergoing treatment at state hospitals.Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari visited the puja pandal at around 1 a.m. to conduct an inspection and talk to the police and organisers, after meeting the families of the deceased and injured at Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.He announced that his government will provide Rs 25 lakh and a government job for the family of each deceased. He also announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident."Rs 5 lakh will also be given to each injured person, and the entire treatment cost at any hospital of their choice will be borne by the government. An SIT headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court will investigate the incident. The SIT will comprise members from STF, CID and other departments," he said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives in the stampede. PM Modi said on X that the stampede in Kolkata was saddening, and also offered condolences to the bereaved families.President Droupadi Murmu also expressed grief over the deaths, saying that the news of the deaths of people is extremely heartbreaking.Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah postponed all his Durga Puja-related engagements on Sunday and asserted that he is in touch with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari about the incident.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. Tension broke out among visitors 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. Out of them, the condition of one is said to be critical. The death toll reached 19 on Sunday.CM Adhikari said, "Across the entire state, 58,000 Pujas are taking place. Keeping this incident in mind, everyone should exercise caution and take necessary precautionary measures. Crowd control should be maintained, and the directions from the fire brigade and police regarding adequate lighting, entry, exit points, and overall safety must be fully followed. Everyone should cooperate. Please perform your Pujas -- whether it is Ashtami or Pushpanjali. This is our tradition, our scriptures, and it will happen."He further said, "Just the police alone won't get the job done. Issues such as entry, exit, safety, security, and crowd management need to be looked into. What are the shortcomings here, and what kind of bad experience have we faced from this incident? Within the next two to three days, action should be taken to ensure such incidents do not happen again, and the government will take steps accordingly."The Chief Minister announced that public representatives and bureaucrats of the central and state governments will not participate in any festivals over the next two to three days. "Whatever programmes were scheduled by the government, through the cultural and tourism departments, we are calling those off. However, the worship will continue," he said.The Chief Minister added, “The crowd that gathered today -- there are people from Bihar as well. People from many parts of the country also come here to see the puja. There are many big pandals with idols of Goddess Durga, and the themes are very good. This is a very unfortunate incident...This is an accident, and whoever is responsible, we will pick them up. We will do it through CCTV footage as well as through the investigation.”