Rampur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 18 (ANI): AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday termed the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede in Kolkata, in which 19 people lost their lives, a “failure” of governance and called for an examination of possible negligence.
The tragic incident occurred at a Durga Puja pandal on Saturday evening, where a massive rush of devotees led to a fatal stampede that claimed 19 lives and left several others injured.
Owaisi said he hoped the government in West Bengal would “find out the cause”.
“Unfortunately, so many people have lost their lives there. People had gone to attend a religious festival with devotion, and a stampede occurred. We hope that the government there will find out the cause. Obviously, it is also a failure of governance. It is a major festival in Bengal, and large numbers of people always gather there. If they were unable to make adequate arrangements for it, then obviously there must have been some negligence which needs to be examined,” he said.
The Bankshal Court on Sunday remanded seven people arrested in connection with the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede to police custody for 10 days. Police had sought a 14-day remand.
The defence lawyer, MD Yashim Raheman, claimed the accused were outsiders who had come to witness the Puja celebrations. He added that custody had been granted until the 28th, while police had asked for custody until the 1st.
“We informed the court that these individuals were outsiders; they had come to witness the Durga Puja celebrations. Upon observing the heavy crowding–where many people were in distress–they stepped in to assist with rescue efforts…Regarding the police custody (PC), the court has granted it until the 28th. Everyone has been remanded to police custody until the 28th. The police had requested custody until the 1st, but the judge granted it until the 28th,” he told ANI.
Earlier, the bodies of those who lost their lives in the Durga Puja pandal stampede incident in Kolkata were handed over to their family members on Sunday.
Those arrested include Raj Kumar Sewda, alias Raja, the secretary of the puja committee; Santanu Dubey, its vice-president; and Biplab Mukherjee, alias Joy, who was involved in the construction of a bamboo structure.
The other arrested persons include Koushik Saha, who was involved in crowd management and checking VIP passes; Pintu Dey, who was engaged in crowd management; and Suman Chakraborty and Rajesh Pal, who were working as private security in-charges.
Police registered a suo motu case under Sections 105, 110 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the organisers and others. Fourteen people were also detained for questioning, according to the police. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, was also imposed in parts of Kolkata from October 18 to 20 to prevent possible disturbances.
The West Bengal government has announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a job for the family of each deceased person. An investigation by the Special Task Force (STF) has also been initiated to establish accountability. (ANI)
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