Union Minister Shah visits Kolkata stampede victims as seven arrested and doctors clash over care

UPDATE - follow-up to Kolkata pandal stampede LIVE | Prohibitory orders imposed around Chorbagan; Amit Shah to meet injured people: Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Apollo Hospital in Kolkata on Sunday morning to meet fourteen of the people injured in the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede and speak with their doctors.

Arrests And Causes

Police detained seven people, including Chorbagan Durga Puja organisers, private security guards, and on-duty staff. A senior police officer stated that poor crowd management, insufficient crowd control, and confusing announcements after a sudden downpour during Saptami celebrations on Saturday evening triggered panic among visitors.

Official Reactions

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that the state government will give twenty-five lakh rupees and a Group D government job to the family of each deceased person. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep distress and announced central compensation of two lakh rupees for the families of the dead and fifty thousand rupees for the injured. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang also shared his grief on social media. Meanwhile, junior doctors and interns at Kolkata Medical College alleged mismanagement after patients were offered options to shift to private hospitals, though the West Bengal Health Minister denied these claims.

Context

Large festive gatherings during major festivals in India frequently face heavy crowds that require strict crowd control measures to prevent accidents. High-level political visits and compensation announcements are standard official responses following major public tragedies of this scale.