Suvendu Adhikari visited bereaved families and distributed Rs 25 lakh compensation cheques. The outreach accompanied tighter safety measures and a judicial probe request.
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Kolkata,Oct 20, 2026 20:38 IST
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday visited families who lost relatives in the Kolkata stampede and handed them compensation cheques of Rs 25 lakh, news agency Press Trust of India reported. He also criticised the opposition for its alleged absence after the tragedy.
Nineteen people were killed and 25 injured in the stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening. Adhikari claimed that false accounts of the incident were being posted on social media from Bangladesh and warned of legal action against those circulating or endorsing such content.
Questioning the opposition's absence from the site and hospitals, Adhikari accused the previous Trinamool Congress government of continuing celebrations despite deaths during former chief minister Mamata Banerjee's tenure.
"People can see the stark difference between the previous government and ours. In 2025, as many as 13 people died by electrocution in Kolkata, while several lost their lives in a flash flood in Darjeeling's Nagrakata. Despite that, puja celebrations, dandiya events and carnivals were held," he said.
After the stampede, the state government announced extensive safety measures and formed a high-level committee to inspect compliance.
According to PTI, Adhikari first met the family of Togor Bej, 37, and her son Sandip Bej, 14, in Purba Bardhaman district. He then visited the family of Piyali Pramanik, 25, in Arambagh in Hooghly district. Pramanik was Togor Bej's sister-in-law.
"I have no words to console you, nor do I have the power to bring back those who have left us. I can feel your pain. I am handing over Rs 25 lakh ex gratia to you," Adhikari told the family of Togor and Sandip Bej at their home.
While consoling Pramanik's family, he assured them of support and said, "Unlike the previous government, we believe not in words but in action."
Speaking to reporters, Adhikari criticised the way the previous TMC government had handled similar incidents. "In earlier instances, aggrieved families had to approach the Calcutta High Court or the Supreme Court to get an inquiry ordered. Have you ever heard of a government paying compensation of Rs 25 lakh?" he asked.
Adhikari said the chief secretary had written to the chief justice of the Calcutta High Court on Monday, requesting the nomination of a sitting judge to head a team investigating the stampede. He added that no official from Kolkata Police or the Kolkata Municipal Corporation had been included in the investigation team.
The chief minister also visited the families of Aarti Sarkar, 45, in Chakdaha in Nadia district; Sriparna Poddar, 26, in Baidyabati in Hooghly district; and Akriti Raut, 17, in Liluah in Howrah. He paid tribute to the victims and handed compensation cheques to their families, PTI reported.
Adhikari assured Poddar's family that steps would be taken to provide a job to her mother, who had previously worked as a nurse, and old-age pensions to both her parents.
"Sriparna was the only child in the family and worked at a cancer hospital in Rajarhat. It is painful to think about the family's future. The loss of their only child is an irreparable damage," he said, directing the local MLA to help find employment for her mother.
"If she gets an opportunity to work again, she will receive a steady income and staying occupied may also help her cope emotionally. I have also directed the district magistrate to ensure that both her parents receive old-age pension," Adhikari said.
At Raut's home in Liluah, the chief minister said, "We cannot bring back those who have left us, but we must fulfil our responsibilities towards the families they have left behind. The grief of the families who have lost their loved ones in the Chorbagan tragedy is our grief too. That is why we are refraining from celebrations and observing only religious rituals."
Adhikari's visits followed the death of 19 people in the Kolkata stampede, with the state government providing compensation to the bereaved families, introducing safety measures and initiating an investigation into the tragedy.
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