West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday handed over Rs 25 lakh in ex gratia compensation to each of the three families who lost their loved ones in the Kolkata Durga Puja stampede that claimed 19 lives.
Adhikari visited the families of Togor Bej (37) and her son, Sandip Bej (14), in Purba Bardhaman district before travelling to Arambagh in Hooghly district to meet the family of Piyali Pramanik, Togor’s sister-in-law, who also died in the tragedy.
The CM also met the family of Piyali Pramanik, who lost her life in the tragedy, at Arambagh in Hooghly district. Pramanik was Togor's sister-in-law.
"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 the family members of Togor and Sandip at their residence in the Madhavdighi area of Purba Bardhaman district.
Later, he visited and interacted with the bereaved family members of Pramanik.
Besides handing over the compensation cheque, the chief minister paid tribute to the deceased woman.
"I am with you all. Do not worry. Unlike the previous government, we believe not in words but in action," he told the Pramanik family.
Nineteen people were killed and 25 injured in a stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saturday evening.
Speaking to the media, Adhikari criticised the TMC government for how it had handled 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, requesting the nomination of a sitting judge to probe the Chorbagan Durga Puja stampede incident.
He also said that since the incident occurred within the jurisdiction of Kolkata Police and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, no representative from the two organisations had been included in the team constituted to probe the mishap.
(With Inputs from PTI)