Kolkata Durga Puja stampede: Seven arrested; process underway to identify victims
Police have registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder
Kolkata Police have arrested seven individuals, including Durga Puja pandal organizers and security staff, following a tragic stampede that claimed 19 lives and injured 25 others in north Kolkata. Authorities registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while the state government announced a Special Investigation Team probe led by a high court judge. Additionally, officials declared an ex gratia compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job for the families of those who lost their lives.
Kolkata Police have arrested seven individuals, including Durga Puja pandal organizers and security staff, following a tragic stampede that claimed 19 lives and injured 25 others in north Kolkata. Authorities registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while the state government announced a Special Investigation Team probe led by a high court judge. Additionally, officials declared an ex gratia compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job for the families of those who lost their lives.
Kolkata Police have arrested seven individuals, including Durga Puja pandal organizers and security staff, following a tragic stampede that claimed 19 lives and injured 25 others in north Kolkata. Authorities registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, while the state government announced a Special Investigation Team probe led by a high court judge. Additionally, officials declared an ex gratia compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a government job for the families of those who lost their lives.
Kolkata Police have arrested seven people, including organisers of a Durga Puja pandal, in connection with the stampede that claimed 19 lives and left 25 others injured in north Kolkata.
Those arrested include Raj Kumar Sewda, alias Raja (48), secretary of the puja committee; Santanu Dubey (55), its vice-president; and Biplab Mukherjee, alias Joy (48), who was involved in constructing a bamboo structure at the venue.
Koushik Saha (53), who was responsible for crowd management and checking VIP passes; Pintu Dey (51), who was also involved in crowd management; and Suman Chakraborty (30) and Rajesh Pal (29), who were working as private security in-charges, have also been arrested.
Police have registered a suo motu case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the organisers and others in connection with the incident. A total of 14 people are in detention and are being questioned as part of the investigation.
Meanwhile, police said the process of identifying those killed in the stampede was underway on Sunday, even as the death toll rose to 19.
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has promised strict action against those found responsible for failing to discharge their duties, allegedly leading to mismanagement of the crowd.
The stampede occurred at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening, the day of Maha Saptami, following a surge in the crowd amid rainfall.
The chief minister has also announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court, will investigate the incident. The team will include members of the Special Task Force (STF), Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and other departments.
As part of the relief measures, the state government has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 25 lakh and a government job for the family of each deceased person. Those injured will receive compensation of Rs 5 lakh each.