Deadly Kolkata Durga Puja stampede triggers political accusations as government orders probe

A stampede at the Chor Bagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday night left 19 dead and dozens injured, prompting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to set up a Special Investigation Team led by a Calcutta High Court judge. Seven members of the pandal committee were arrested within hours of the tragedy. The Trinamool Congress claimed the organising body, Chore Bagan Sarbojanin Durgatsav Samity, is linked to the chief minister’s nephew, Debdeep Adhikari, and demanded his arrest. MAITC MLA Kunal Ghosh called the incident a total administrative failure, saying the committee includes many BJP figures who are being protected and urging the removal of the municipal corporation and the OSD. He also blamed the rain excuse as a cover‑up. The party posted a purported resignation letter suggesting the previous committee stepped down after the BJP won the Jorasanko assembly seat in May, naming BJP MLA Jijay Ojha as the new committee chairman. Ojha told reporters he was on the committee but was unaware that entry and exit routes were too narrow for safety standards. Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee repeated the call for the chief minister’s nephew to be jailed and named BJP north‑Kolkata unit president Tamoghna Ghosh as involved. BJP spokesperson Ritesh Tiwari said he did not know of any family link but, even if it existed, the party would not want such a tragedy. Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi expressed condolences and asked for a fair probe, while BJP MLA Sajal Ghosh said the rain may have contributed and denied any cover‑up. ## Context The episode shows how festival safety, local politics and party rivalries intersect in West Bengal, and the probe will examine both crowd‑control lapses and possible political influence over the pandal’s management.