Kolkata stampede: Abhishek Banerjee targets CM over nephew's alleged Puja committee link

Mamata All India Trinamool Congress (MAITC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday targeted Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari over the deadly stampede at the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata, demanding the arrest of his nephew and alleging links between members of the chief minister’s family and the Puja committee.

The incident has claimed 18 lives, according to the figures cited in Banerjee’s post. He shared a Facebook post referring to images of the Puja committee’s organising team and questioned the alleged involvement of Adhikari’s nephew in the committee.

In a sharp attack on the chief minister, Banerjee wrote, “When will you put the culprit nephew in jail, Suvendu Babu?”

He also accused the state administration of failing to ensure accountability for the deaths and alleged that the tragedy would not be properly acknowledged by the ruling establishment.

MAITC leader names Puja committee members

The images shared alongside the post list Debdeep Adhikari as the chief patron of the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durgotsab Samity. Vijay Ojha is listed as a patron, while Tamoghna Ghosh is named among the committee’s office-bearers.

The committee poster also names other members involved in organising the puja. Banerjee referred to Vijay Ojha and Tomoghno Ghosh in his post, asking that they also be mentioned alongside the chief minister’s nephew.

The allegations come amid questions over crowd management and emergency arrangements at the north Kolkata Puja pandal, where a stampede broke out on Saturday evening.

'Follow the rules of the land'

Banerjee demanded action over the alleged links and called for the law to be applied.

“The death of 18 people will not even be recorded in the Double Engine Washing Machine, and don't forget to mention Vijay Oza and Tomoghno Ghosh with your nephew.”

He ended his message with a call for accountability, saying, “Follow the rules of the land.”

The allegations against the individuals named in the post have not been independently established in the information available. The incident has triggered political exchanges, with the TMC questioning the administration’s handling of the crowd and demanding accountability for the deaths.