Kolkata: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari crisscrossed West Bengal on Tuesday, meeting bereaved families of five victims of the Kolkata stampede and handing over to each of them Rs 25 lakh in compensation while targeting the opposition for their “absence” following the tragedy. He also claimed that “fake narratives” about the stampede were being posted on social media from Bangladesh and warned of legal action against those who circulated or endorsed such content.
Nineteen people were killed and 25 injured in a stampede at the Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening.
Questioning the opposition’s “absence” from the site of the tragedy or hospitals, Adhikari criticised the previous TMC government, alleging that festivities had continued despite loss of life under his predecessor Mamata Banerjee’s rule.
“People can see the stark difference between the previous government and ours. In 2025, as many as 13 people died by electrocution in Kolkata, while several lost their lives in a flash flood in Darjeeling’s Nagrakata. Despite that, puja celebrations, dandiya events and carnivals were held,” he said.
Following the stampede, the state government announced sweeping safety measures and constituted a high-level committee that inspected compliance.
The chief minister first visited the family of the mother-son duo — Togor Bej (37) and Sandip Bej (14), in Purba Bardhaman district, followed by the kin of Piyali Pramanik (25) in Hooghly district’s Arambagh. Pramanik was the sister-in-law of Togor Bej.
He also visited the families of Aarti Sarkar (45) in Nadia district’s Chakdaha, Sriparna Poddar (26) in Hooghly’s Baidyabati, and Akriti Raut (17) in Howrah’s Liluah.
“I have no words to console you, nor do I have the power to bring back those who have left us. I can feel your pain. I am handing over Rs 25 lakh ex gratia to you,” Adhikari told the family members of Togor and Sandip Bej at their residence.
While consoling the family of Piyali Pramanik, he assured them of all support, saying, “Unlike the previous government, we believe not in words but in action.”
Interacting with reporters, he criticised the previous TMC government for the manner it had dealt with such incidents during its tenure.
“In earlier instances, aggrieved families had to approach the Calcutta High Court or the Supreme Court to get an inquiry ordered. Have you ever heard of a government paying compensation of Rs 25 lakh?” he asked.
Adhikari said the chief secretary had written to the chief justice of the Calcutta High Court on Monday, requesting him to nominate a sitting judge to head a team probing the stampede. Also, no official of the Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has been included in the team constituted to probe the incident, he pointed out.
The chief minister later visited the houses of Aarti Sarkar in Nadia district and of Sriparna Poddar in Hooghly’s Baidyabati district, paying tributes to the deceased and handing over to the families compensation cheques.
Adikari assured Poddar’s family that steps would be taken to provide a job to her mother, who previously worked as a nurse, and old-age pensions to both her parents.
“Sriparna was the only child in the family and worked at a cancer hospital in Rajarhat. It is painful to think about the family’s future. The loss of their only child is an irreparable damage,” he said and directed the local MLA to help arrange employment for the deceased’s mother.
“If she gets an opportunity to work again, she will receive a steady income and staying occupied may also help her cope emotionally. I have also directed the district magistrate to ensure that both her parents receive old-age pension,” he said.
At the residence of Akriti Raut in Liluah, the chief minister said, “We cannot bring back those who have left us, but we must fulfil our responsibilities towards the families they have left behind. The grief of the families who have lost their loved ones in the Chorbagan tragedy is our grief too. That is why we are refraining from celebrations and observing only religious rituals.”
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