Kolkata, 23 October (H.S.) :

Kolkata Police have arrested a second announcer, identified as Babu alias Kushal Majumdar, in connection with the tragic Chorbagan Durga Puja stampede. As the accused undergoes intensive interrogation at the Lalbazar police headquarters, his wife has made an explosive public allegation, claiming he was explicitly instructed by an unidentified individual to delay his surrender to the authorities until after October 27.

Speaking to the media, Majumdar’s wife detailed his movements on the night of the disaster. She stated that immediately following the incident, he returned home, changed into informal attire, and left barefoot, ostensibly to assist the victims, before going into hiding. While absconding, he reportedly remained in contact with her over the phone. According to her statement, Majumdar expressed a clear desire to surrender to the police but cited strict instructions from someone forbidding him from approaching the police station before the 27th of the month. She maintained that she does not know the identity of the person who issued this directive.

The fatal stampede, which occurred on the rainy evening of Mahasaptami, claimed the lives of 19 individuals, including several minors. Investigators have identified a highly irresponsible announcement made over the pandal's public address system-falsely warning the crowd that the pandal is collapsing - as the primary trigger for the massive panic and subsequent deadly crush among the devotees.

Since the tragedy, police had been actively tracking the individuals responsible for the fatal public announcements. The first breakthrough in this specific track of the investigation came on Thursday when Sanjeev Raha, alias Sentu, the treasurer of the Chorbagan Puja committee, was apprehended from a hideout in the Nadia district. Raha is scheduled to be produced in court today. Detectives at Lalbazar are now expected to interrogate Majumdar closely to verify his wife's claims and uncover who might have instructed him to evade immediate police custody.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh