2 Announcers Held for Kolkata Durga Puja Stampede

Kolkata: The Kolkata Police arrested two persons, whose microphone announcements had triggered a panic and stampede that left 19 pandal hoppers dead and 25 others hurt at Chorebagan Sarbojonin Durgotsob puja mandap in Girish Park area on October 17, in the last 24 hours.

The two are Sanjib Raha alias Sentu and Kushal Majumdar alias Babu. Both of them were puja committee members and went into hiding following the tragedy. They were identified by the detective department (DD) of the city police while scanning the CCTV footage of the stampede in the evening of Maha Saptami.

According to investigators, the duo was seen announcing “a portion of the mandap is breaking apart” due to the heavy rush of the crowd and asking them to leave the mandap immediately. Sanjib, who is the treasurer, was caught from Nadia by the DD officers after tracking his whereabouts and secret communication with his sides.

He was produced on Friday at the Bankshall Court which remanded him in police custody till October 28. Kushal was arrested after he visited Hare Street police station in central Kolkata and surrendered himself. The accused was later taken to Lalbazar, the city police headquarters, for interrogation.

His wife, Koyel Majumdar, however, alleged that her husband was asked not to surrender to the police before a particular time. “My husband wanted to surrender. But he was asked by someone not to do so before October 27. That's what he told me before he left home,” she said.

Ms Majumdar also recalled that her husband came home running immediately after the stampede and asked her not to step out. “He changed his clothes and rushed out saying that he was going to rescue the people caught in the tragedy. Since then he remained at large,” the homemaker said.