Kolkata, Oct 18 (PTI) A Class 12 student from West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district and a nurse from Hooghly were among those killed in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata.
At least 19 people died, and 25 were injured in the stampede at Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal following a crowd surge amid rain on Saturday evening.
Priya Samaddar, a resident of Uttar Jogendranagar area in North 24 Parganas, was visiting Kolkata with her friends for pandal-hopping. However, the student of Tapati Balika Vidyalaya in New Barrackpore will never return home.
What was meant to be an evening of festive celebrations ended in mourning for her family and neighbours as news of Priya’s death reached them.
Police officers visited her residence and spoke to her family members.
“This was the first time my daughter had gone to Kolkata for pandal-hopping. I don’t know what went wrong… I received a call from the police asking me to visit Kolkata Medical College and Hospital,” her father, a blouse-cutting artisan, told reporters here.
“Before leaving her home, she (Priya) had reassured me saying: ‘Don’t worry Baba, I will return home safely’… That won’t happen now,” he added.
Another victim, 27-year-old Sriparna Poddar, was a resident of Baidyabati in Hooghly district.
“My daughter worked as a nurse at Tata Cancer Hospital. She had left home for work on Saturday morning and later had gone to Chorbagan with her friends,” her mother, who reached Kolkata at night, said.
Sriparna’s death has left her family and acquaintances devastated.
Twenty-year-old Sneha Bhandari was scheduled to get married next year. Her death in the stampede just months ahead of the scheduled wedding has left her husband-to-be, Abhishek Mondal, in a state of shock.
“I accompanied her to the pandal on Mahasaptami when rain triggered a rush among visitors. I managed to come out, but she got caught in the stampede. I could not save her,” a sobbing Abhishek said.
He alleged that the exit route was blocked, trapping people inside as the crowd pushed to get out.
“I watched helplessly as Sneha fell amid the chaos and could do nothing to save her,” he said.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that his government will provide Rs 25 lakh as compensation and a Group D government job for the next of kin of the deceased.
He ordered the formation of a special investigation team headed by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court to probe the incident. PTI SCH ACD
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