BJP MLA and mother of the RG Kar rape-murder victim, Ratna Debnath, has blamed the people themselves for the stampede in Kolkata’s Chorbagan area during Durga Puja that left at least 19 people dead and 25 injured.Debnath said the gathering could have been smaller had people been willing to step outside and get drenched in the rain, arguing that the incident underscored the need to change people’s mindset.“If people had stepped outside and got drenched in the rain, there would not have been such a large gathering. There is a great need to change people’s mindset,” she said.The Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal, a popular spot for revellers every year, is located in a narrow lane in north Kolkata.
A false announcement that the pandal was about to collapse, a surge of people inside the temple amid rain, and dim lighting inside the pandal due to this year’s theme were among the factors cited as possible causes of the disaster. A six-member special investigation team (SIT) has been formed after the Suvendu Adhikari government consulted the Calcutta High Court to probe the causes of the incident and recommend measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.Asked whether an investigation should be demanded into the incident, Debnath said Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had already formed a committee and was conducting the investigation. “What is the point of demanding an investigation?
The Chief Minister has already formed a committee. The Chief Minister is conducting the investigation, so what more can I demand?” she said.When asked who was responsible for the negligence, the BJP MLA squarely blamed the people, accusing them of prioritising their own interests.“There was negligence, of course.
It was the people who were negligent. People think of nothing beyond their own selfish interests.
What would have happened if they had got drenched in the rain? Nothing would have happened,” she said.However, when asked about the absence of police personnel at the exit gate, Debnath said she could not comment on the matter as she was not present at the spot.“I was not there, so I do not know whether the police were present at the exit gate or not,” she said.- Ends