3 killed in Bengal temple stampede

Shubhadeep Choudhury                                                                      

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, August 23

Three persons, including two women, died and several others were injured after a stampede at Lokenath Temple, Kachua, in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district early this morning. The deceased have been identified as Tarun Mandal of Hasnabad, Purnima Gorai of Rajarhat and Aparna Sarkar of Dattapara. The toll may go further up as a few of the injured persons are critical.

The state government has announced Rs 5 lakh as ex gratia to the next of the kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh and Rs 50,000 each, respectively, to those seriously injured and those suffering from minor injuries.

Lokenath Brahmachari, a 19th century Bengali ascetic with an impressive following, was born in Kachua, 50 km away from Kolkata toward Taki. The temple, dedicated to him, draws a sound crowd every year during Janmasthtami celebrations.

If the police are to be believed, the number of devotees visiting the temple this year is higher than that of the previous occasions.

“It was raining heavily since early Friday morning and the devotees took shelter under the roof of temporary shops erected near the temple. When rain stopped, the devotees rushed toward the temple when a portion of the temple wall collapsed as they jostled one another to gain entry to the temple. A few temporary shops also collapsed which further added to the confusion, leading to the stampede,” a police official said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told mediapersons that there was a heavy rush of devotees. “It was raining in the morning and the devotees took shelter inside makeshift shops made of bamboo and tarpaulin. A few of these shops, which were erected on the bank of a pond, collapsed and people inside fell into the pond,” Banerjee said.

“About three million people visit the Ganga Sagar Mela each year. We have an idea about the size of the crowd and we make preparations accordingly. But in Kachua, the heavy rush of devotees was unexpected,” the CM said.

Banerjee spoke to reporters on the SSKM hospital premises where a few of the injured people were admitted. She also visited the injured lodged at the National Medical College.

West Bengal Food and Civil Supplies Minister Jyotipriya Mullik has been sent to Kachua where a few injured people have been admitted to the local hospital.

The mishap at Kachua is unfortunate and tragic. Occurred after heavy rain. I visited CNMC and SSKM hospitals to meet families of the deceased and injured. Every death is a tragedy. But what we can do is stand by the families in their moment of grief.— Mamata Banerjee, West bengal CM