The deaths of 19 people at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durgotsav in North Kolkata have become West Bengal’s main political issue, because the festival’s chief organiser is Debdip Adhikari, nephew of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari himself. This came to light through a poster published by the Chorbagan puja committee.
The poster names Debdip Adhikari as “chief patron”. Bijay Ojha, the BJP MLA for Jorasanko, is chairman of the puja committee, and North Kolkata district BJP president Tamoghna Ghosh is also said to be involved.
Alleging BJP involvement in Saturday’s incident, the Trinamool Congress, West Bengal’s main opposition party, has asked who is responsible for so many deaths and when the chief minister will resign after such a tragedy. Trinamool has gone on the attack by posting the committee’s poster on social media. Seven people have been arrested over the stampede at the Chorbagan puja pavilion, in which 19 people have died so far.
On Sunday afternoon Trinamool wrote on social media: “Will Kolkata Police take any action against the first three names, or is the illegitimate chief minister shielding them himself? Debdip Adhikari, chief patron, Suvendu Adhikari’s nephew; Bijay Ojha, puja chairman and BJP MLA; and Tanmoy Ghosh, chief adviser of the puja and BJP district president, North Kolkata.”
“Are they not equally responsible?” Trinamool asked. “The chief minister himself inaugurated the Chorbagan puja pandal. Did he not check the safety arrangements when he went there? Will he not be held accountable for every life lost?”
On Saturday night Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said clearly that no one involved would be spared. All CCTV footage of the incident has been collected, he said, and strict legal action will be taken against anyone the footage shows to have been negligent. As he said, police arrested seven people after questioning through the night.
Those arrested include several officials of the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja committee, the people in charge of VIP passes and crowd control, and two private security guards. Despite his name on the poster, Debdip Adhikari is not on the list of those arrested, nor are BJP MLA Bijay Ojha or the party’s North Kolkata president Tamoghna Ghosh.
Questioned by reporters after the incident, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said he knew of no such thing, and did not know whether the chief minister’s nephew was a minor or an adult, or whether he lived in Kolkata. He also said he was completely shattered and declined to answer any political questions at that moment.
So far 19 deaths have been confirmed from Saturday’s disaster, and another 25 people are being treated in hospital. Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the injured at a private hospital in Kolkata on Sunday morning. All his scheduled Durga Puja engagements have been suspended.
A fact-finding committee led by a sitting High Court judge has been announced to investigate the incident fully. A high-level inquiry and government assistance for the families of the dead and injured have also been promised.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report