Kolkata, Oct 18 (IANS) BJP leaders on Sunday expressed grief over the stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata, with West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh saying that worship should continue while stressing that such incidents must be avoided.
Other leaders raised concerns over crowd management and urged people to exercise caution during the ongoing festive season.
On the stampede tragedy, Ghosh said the government was fulfilling its responsibility, and the Chief Minister had already made announcements following the incident. However, he emphasised that the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations should not be stopped.
“The government is fulfilling its responsibility, and the Chief Minister has made announcements. However, the worship is still ongoing and should not be stopped. Such incidents should not happen and must be kept in mind. Those who want to politicise this will do so. So much worship is happening everywhere, police are present, the entire system is functioning properly, and lakhs of people are roaming around on the streets. These things happen rarely, which is why it’s called an accident, but still, it shouldn’t have happened,” Ghosh said.
West Bengal Minister Umesh Rai attributed the incident to a failure in crowd management, alleging that people were entering the pandal even as others were not leaving the premises. He said the role of the organisers and the security agency would be examined.
“The stampede occurred when people were not leaving the pandal while a large number of people were entering from behind. This was a mistake on the part of the Puja organisers and the security agency responsible for the arrangements. Whatever happened will be investigated by the SIT, which has been formed to probe the incident,” Rai said.
Bihar Minister Ram Kripal Yadav also expressed grief over the tragedy, describing the incident as distressing. He said the situation at the pandal had deteriorated amid rainfall, leading to chaos.
“The incident in Bengal is heartbreaking, tragic, distressing and painful. Chaos broke out at the pandal due to rain, leading to this unfortunate incident. We should pray to God for peace for the souls of those who lost their lives,” Yadav said.
BJP MP Kangana Ranaut described the incident as unfortunate and conveyed her condolences to the affected families. She also appealed to people to avoid overcrowded places where pushing and shoving could put their lives at risk, particularly with more festivals approaching.
“This is a very unfortunate incident, and a stampede occurred there. I cannot express how the festive season, which is usually filled with celebrations everywhere, has now turned into a time of mourning for so many people. We extend our condolences to the affected families. We urge people to avoid visiting overcrowded places where pushing and shoving can occur, as more festivals are approaching, including Dussehra and Diwali,” Ranaut said.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police have imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, barring assemblies of people until October 20 in a large area around the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in North Kolkata, where the stampede occurred on Saturday night.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the state administration has also stepped up precautions at other major Durga Puja venues across Kolkata. Chief Minister Shuvendu Adhikari ordered the formation of a special team on Saturday night to inspect arrangements at the city’s popular puja pandals.
–IANS
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