'They Were Outsiders Who Came For Durga Puja': Kolkata Stampede Accused's Lawyer As Court Remands In 10-Day Custody

The Bankshal Court on Sunday remanded seven people arrested in connection with the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal stampede to police custody for 10 days. However, the defence lawyer, MD Yashim Raheman, made a shocking argument before the court. The lawyer said the arrested people were outsiders who had come to witness the Puja celebrations. He added that custody had been granted until the 28th, while police had asked for custody until the 1st.

The tragic incident occurred at a Durga Puja pandal on Saturday evening, where a massive rush of devotees led to a fatal stampede that claimed 19 lives and left several others injured.

"We informed the court that these individuals were outsiders; they had come to witness the Durga Puja celebrations. Upon observing the heavy crowding--where many people were in distress--they stepped in to assist with rescue efforts...Regarding the police custody (PC), the court has granted it until the 28th. Everyone has been remanded to police custody until the 28th. The police had requested custody until the 1st, but the judge granted it until the 28th," he told ANI.

Those arrested include Raj Kumar Sewda, alias Raja, the secretary of the puja committee; Santanu Dubey, its vice-president; and Biplab Mukherjee, alias Joy, who was involved in the construction of a bamboo structure. The other arrested persons include Koushik Saha, who was involved in crowd management and checking VIP passes; Pintu Dey, who was engaged in crowd management; and Suman Chakraborty and Rajesh Pal, who were working as private security in-charges.

Police registered a suo motu case under Sections 105, 110 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the organisers and others. Fourteen people were also detained for questioning, according to the police. Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, was also imposed in parts of Kolkata from October 18 to 20 to prevent possible disturbances.

The West Bengal government has announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh and a job for the family of each deceased person. An investigation by the Special Task Force (STF) has also been initiated to establish accountability.

West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee urged against politicising the tragedy. "I saw that the roads were comparatively empty because we have lost our fellow citizens. Young children have lost their lives. Most importantly, this is not a time for any political blame game. It is very unfortunate that after such an incident, certain sections of the political establishment came out with everything blazing... We categorically said yesterday that this is not a time for a blame game. There can be a political post-mortem, but that must happen later. First, precious lives have been lost... Chief Minister has stated what measures have been taken. I may agree or disagree, but the political post-mortem needs to wait," he told ANI.

(With inputs from agency)