States » EastPosted at: Oct 24 2026 8:35PM


Suvendu meets Chorbagan victim family, likely to meet 8,000 puja committees on Oct 26

Kolkata, Oct 24 (UNI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who visited the 15th victim’s family in connection with the Chorbagan stampede at Bakhrahat in South 24 Parganas on Friday, is likely to draw up a comprehensive roadmap to prevent a recurrence of such tragedies.

He has convened a meeting of around 8,000 Durga Puja committees at Milan Mela on Monday on the Bijoya Sammiloni, where discussions will focus on ensuring the safety of puja pandals and visitors in the coming years.

Sources close to the development said the meeting would go beyond the customary exchange of Bijoya greetings, with the Chorbagan tragedy serving as a key point of discussion.

“The puja committees will be urged to prioritise the safety of pandal-hoppers from the planning stage itself and implement the recommendations made by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the incident,” a senior official said.

However, reiterating that the stampede was primarily the result of “human error”, the chief minister said those found responsible by the investigating team would not be spared.

The retired judge entrusted with the investigation would examine the remaining aspects of the incident and submit a report within three months, he said.

“The administration has taken the initiative to ensure an impartial probe instead of waiting for a court intervention. The SIT did not include any representatives of Kolkata Police or the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and this itself demonstrates the government's commitment to an independent investigation,” he added.

“Earlier people had to go to the court to seek justice and now we are asking the court to help us in the investigation. The difference is very loud and clear,” the chief minister said.

Meanwhile on Friday, Adhikari visited the family of 20-year-old Sneha Bhandari, a victim of the tragedy, at Bakhrahat in South 24 Parganas.

He said this was the 15th bereaved family he had visited and that he planned to meet two more families.

“I believe that if I personally stand beside the families during this difficult time, it will give them confidence. This is why we have planned to meet every affected family individually,” he said.

The chief minister said the government's immediate priority was to ensure the welfare of the bereaved families by providing financial assistance, employment and support for the education of their children.

He said a job would be arranged for a family member in December, adding that the district magistrate, superintendent of police and the entire administrative team were supporting the family.

“There can be no compensation for a death. But when an accident occurs, we have to do whatever is possible to help the affected families. My first and foremost responsibility is their security, including financial assistance, a job and arrangements for the education of their children. They are still grieving, and we must take care of them,” Adhikari said.

Adhikari also referred to the 2017 Gangasagar stampede, in which 17 people died, and said people would judge the actions taken by successive governments in the aftermath of such incidents.

“People have seen what the then government did and now they are watching what we are doing. People see everything and we have faith in people,” he said.

He noted that around 66,000 Durga Pujas had been organised across West Bengal this year and expressed regret that the Chorbagan incident had occurred.
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Tags: #Suvendu meets Chorbagan victim family# likely to meet 8#000 puja committees on Oct 26
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