Kolkata, Oct 18 (PTI): Former general secretary of the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja Committee Jayanta Banerjee on Sunday expressed anguish over the stampede at the north Kolkata pandal that killed 19 people and injured several others, saying the shifting of the idol from its traditional position this year went against long-followed community practices.
Banerjee, who served as the committee’s general secretary for 15 years, resigned in July.
In a video message, Banerjee claimed he had repeatedly cautioned some organisers against shifting the idol’s position.
“According to our community’s rules, we never turn the face of the Mother in another direction. No matter how big the artiste or how prominent the person, I never allowed it to be rotated,” he said.
Recounting previous instances when slight changes were made to the idol’s alignment or the surrounding structure, Banerjee referred to tragedies involving him and his close associates, including the death of his father in 2023, when a pillar was shifted.
He said the deviation from tradition this year had deeply disturbed him, but did not establish any link between the movement of the idol and the stampede.
“I repeatedly warned everyone in the locality, my friends and associates, urging them not to move the deity. I do not know why this happened this year; perhaps it was coincidence, or something else,” he said.
Banerjee said he was deeply grief-stricken by the tragedy and no longer wished to remain associated with the puja.
“For 15 years, I gave everything to Chorbagan. From 2017 onwards, we hosted theme pujas, and not a single year until 2025 did we face any trouble or mismanagement,” he said, recalling that large crowds had been managed successfully in previous years with the cooperation of police, administration and the club.
Expressing uncertainty over what went wrong this year, Banerjee said he was no longer associated with the committee and was currently in Puri.
“I am deeply grief-stricken and tormented by this horrific incident. I can only pray for the peace of the departed souls,” he said.
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