Kolkata stampede: Adhikari gives Rs 25 lakh each to victims' families

Suvendu Adhikari met families of three victims and presented Rs 25 lakh compensation cheques. The state has sought a judicial inquiry while excluding local agencies.Kolkata,Oct 20, 2026 14:10 ISTWest Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday met the families of three people killed in the Kolkata Durga Puja stampede and handed them ex gratia compensation of Rs 25 lakh each, news agency Press Trust of India reported.Nineteen people were killed and 25 others injured in the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening.Adhikari first visited the family of Togor Bej, 37, and her son Sandip Bej, 14, in Purba Bardhaman district and assured them of all possible assistance.“I have no words to console you, nor do I have the power to bring back those who have left us. I can feel your pain. I am handing over Rs 25 lakh ex gratia to you,” Adhikari told their family members at their home in the Madhavdighi area, according to PTI. The chief minister later met the family of Piyali Pramanik at Arambagh in Hooghly district. Pramanik, who was Togor's sister-in-law, was also killed in the stampede. Adhikari handed over the compensation cheque and paid tribute to her.“I am with you all. Do not worry. Unlike the previous government, we believe not in words but in action,” he told Pramanik's family. Speaking to the media, Adhikari criticised the Trinamool Congress government over its handling of such incidents during its tenure. “Unlike my predecessor, I consider this one of my responsibilities. In earlier instances, aggrieved families had to approach the Calcutta High Court or the Supreme Court to get an inquiry ordered. Have you ever heard of a government paying compensation of Rs 25 lakh?” he said.Adhikari said the chief secretary had written to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court on Monday, seeking the nomination of a sitting judge to investigate the stampede. He added that no representative of Kolkata Police or the Kolkata Municipal Corporation had been included in the inquiry team because the incident took place within their jurisdiction.The chief minister's visits followed the deaths of 19 people in the stampede, with the affected families receiving compensation as the state sought a judicial investigation into the incident.- Ends