Kolkata, Oct. 22 -- Negligence belongs to the people themselves; it is the people's mindset that needs to change, said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ratna Debnath regarding the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja in Kolkata on October 17 that claimed 19 lives.

Debnath, mother of the RG Kar Medical College Hospital trainee doctor who was raped and murdered in 2024, was speaking to reporters after meeting the family of one of the victims, Pranjal Sarkar.

Asked if there was any police negligence during the event, she said, "Negligence is certainly there. The negligence belongs to the people themselves."

Debnath said people have become "so self-centred" that they understand "nothing beyond their own self-interest." She noted that getti...