Bidhannagar, Oct. 18 -- West Bengal Minister of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Dilip Ghosh, on Sunday termed the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata unfortunate and distressing. He stressed the need for greater caution by organisers during large-scale religious gatherings.

Commenting on the incident, Ghosh said that such tragedies should never happen and added that it was the responsibility of organisers to ensure the safety of devotees amid large crowds.

Ghosh said, "The incident that took place is unfortunate and deeply distressing; sometimes, such things happen. Puja celebrations have been held for years-there are many large-scale events, with lakhs of people coming to offer prayers. Occasionally, due to a l...