'My Mother Died Before My Eyes': Families Mourn Loved Ones Lost In Kolkata Stampede

Kolkata: During Durga Puja in Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, a stampede took away the happiness of many families at the Chorbagan puja pandal. In this tragic accident that took place on Saturday evening, 19 people died, while 25 people were injured. Some lost their mother, some lost their sister forever. After the accident, the anger of the family members who were searching for their loved ones outside the hospitals also came to the fore. Now there is only one question in the minds of the victims' families that who will take responsibility for this tragedy?

Sonu had gone with his mother to watch Durga Puja, then how did the world get destroyed?

Sonu Pal, who lost his mother in this accident, is in deep shock. He had reached the pandal with his mother to watch Durga Puja. According to Sonu, it was raining heavily on Saturday evening and people were moving towards the entrance of the pandal to avoid the rain. There was a constant pushing and shoving among people to go inside.

Sonu told that the pressure of the crowd increased so much that the people inside started falling on each other. He too was trapped in the crowd. After somehow controlling himself, he reached his mother, but by then his mother had died. It is difficult for Sonu to express in words the pain of losing his mother.

From whom did Shubham, who lost his sister, ask for answers about the accident?

Shubham Sonkar lost his 30-year-old sister in this accident. She had gone to visit the puja pandal with family members. There is mourning in Shubham's family after the accident. Recalling the last conversation he had with his sister, he raised the question who would take responsibility for this incident?

According to Shubham, the rest of his group survived safely, but his sister is no more in this world. Financial assistance is necessary for the families who lost their loved ones, but they also want to know where the security arrangements went wrong and what steps will be taken to prevent such accidents in the future.

How did the situation go out of control amid rain and crowd?

This accident happened at around 7:40 pm on Saturday evening at Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal located near Sharda Park of Girish Park police station area. At that time it was raining heavily in Kolkata and the crowd of devotees was increasing in the pandal. According to initial information, the situation worsened due to crowd pressure and chaos regarding entry and exit. During this time, information about collapse of a part of the pandal also came to light.

However, the actual cause of the accident can be confirmed only after the investigation is completed. 19 people died and 25 were injured in the incident. The injured were treated in hospitals, while relatives of the dead arrived to identify their loved ones and collect the bodies.

Why are questions being raised on the role of police and administration?

After the accident, local people and the victims' families have raised questions on the security arrangements. Some people alleged that there were not enough policemen present at the pandal and the attention of the personnel deployed was mainly on the VIP entrance. The affected families say that better arrangements should have been made to control the crowd and deal with emergency situations.

Amidst these allegations, the state government has ordered an investigation. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the case and the police have detained 12 people for questioning. In the investigation, aspects like arrangements of the event, police deployment, entry and exit routes and possible negligence will be investigated.

What financial assistance will the families of the deceased get?

Chief Minister Shubhendu Adhikari has announced financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh each to the families of the deceased and a government job to one member of the family. It has also been announced to provide assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the families of the deceased and Rs 50 thousand each to the injured.

However, the biggest question for the affected families at this time is not just compensation but also accountability. They want to know why the security arrangements at the religious event were not adequate and whether this accident could have been prevented. Answers to these questions will be available only after the results of the investigation are revealed.