Kolkata, Oct. 23 -- In a dramatic twist to the investigation into the Chorbagan Sarbojanin Durga Puja stampede, the wife of accused Kushal Majumdar on Friday alleged that senior Puja committee members had instructed her husband to announce over the microphone that the pandal was collapsing, triggering panic that claimed 19 lives and left dozens injured.
Koyel Majumdar, speaking to the media hours after Kushal approached the police, claimed that her husband had not acted independently and was being made a scapegoat. She alleged that the long-time club associate was forced to make the announcement by senior committee members, who subsequently told him to flee Kolkata and remain underground until October 27.
Meanwhile, controversy erupted over several social media posts, including photographs of three handwritten letters uploaded from Kushal's profile after his detention. Police suspect that some family members, who had been given access to his username and password, are operating the account and uploading the posts. Millennium Post has not independently verified the authenticity of the letters.
In one of the letters, Kushal claimed that Kabir, son of the club president, had informed him that the rear portion of the pavilion had collapsed. As he was about to go outside, a police officer allegedly instructed him to make an announcement over the public address system.
Kushal further claimed that the designated announcer was absent when he reached the spot, forcing him to take charge despite having no prior experience of making such announcements.
In his defence, he wrote that, acting on the information provided by Kabir, he urged members of the public not to enter the pandal. He claimed that the warning was intended as a precaution, as a sudden influx of visitors could loosen the pavilion's foundation and cause an accident.
The allegations against the committee members have not been independently established.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.