The family of a woman and her 14-year-old son who died in the Kolkata Durga Puja stampede has received Rs 25 lakh in ex gratia from Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, while police arrested a man in Cooch Behar for allegedly spreading misinformation about the death toll.
Adhikari handed over the compensation to relatives of Togor Bej, 37, and her son Sandip at their residence in the Madhabdihi area of Purba Bardhaman district on Tuesday. Their deaths were among those reported after the stampede at the Chorebagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening.
The incident killed 19 people and injured 25 others, according to the report. The chief minister assured the family that the government would provide all possible assistance. “I have no words to console you, nor do I have the power to bring back those who have left us,” Adhikari told the relatives during the visit. “I can feel your pain. I am giving you the Rs 25 lakh ex gratia.”
The compensation was handed over in Purba Bardhaman, around 110 km north-west of Kolkata. The family’s loss has linked the consequences of the city incident to neighbouring districts from which visitors had travelled to the Durga Puja venue.
Adhikari is also scheduled to visit the residence of Piyali Pramanik in Arambagh, Hooghly district. Pramanik, who also died in the stampede, was Togor Bej’s sister-in-law. The report does not specify whether further compensation has been announced for other victims or injured people.
Separately, the special task force of the Bengal police arrested a man in Cooch Behar for allegedly circulating false information on social media about the number of deaths. A senior police officer said the accused, identified as Ainul Haque, was picked up from his residence on Monday.
“We have arrested a person for spreading misinformation about the toll in the Chorbagan pandal mishap. He was picked up from his residence on Monday. We will not tolerate any attempt that could disrupt law and order in the state,” the officer said.
The officer said police were concerned about the circulation of false information online, after some people claimed that 60 people had died in the incident. The arrest adds a law-and-order response to the government’s immediate relief measures for families affected by the stampede.
The reported toll and injury figures remain 19 dead and 25 injured. The next stated official step is the chief minister’s scheduled visit to the family of Piyali Pramanik in Hooghly.
