One person died and many more were injured during the Durga Puja carnival in Raiganj, North Dinajpur, on Friday evening, when two oxen pulling a cart bearing the idol of the goddess went berserk
Residents said that apart from the death, there were at least 30 injured. District officials, however, said only seven persons were injured out of which two were admitted to the Raiganj Medical College and Hospital.
Trouble started around 8pm on Friday when Anushilani Club, one of the puja organisers participating in the carnival, were transporting their idols on three bullock carts. Suddenly, the oxen pulling one of the carts went berserk amid loud music and crackers. The oxen ran, leaving the cart behind. The crowd on both sides of the road at Madhya Mohanbati area panicked and ran.
The oxen ran amid the crowd and started butting people with their horns, injuring several. Among them, Sadhan Karmakar, 65, president of Bharat Samaj Sebak Sangha, a club participating in the carnival, was fatally injured. He died at 1.30am on Saturday.
The oxen were reined in by local youths and police after half an hour.
Golam Murtaza, owner of the oxen, said: “Although the other four oxen remained calm, the two went berserk they got nervous amid the large crowd, the high pitched sound of the sound systems and the crackers.”
Arvind Meena, the district magistrate of North Dinajpur, went to the hospital and inquired after the injured. “We are looking into the incident. Five of the injured have been released. Two persons are still under treatment,” he said.
The friends and relatives of the deceased blocked the road with the body on Saturday afternoon. Police had a tough time in lifting the blockade.
Julie Karmakar, daughter of the deceased, blamed the administration. “How can animals be used during the carnival? I will take legal steps against the administration and puja organisers that used the bullock cart,” she said.
Krishna Kalyani, the MLA of Raiganj, called the incident “unfortunate” and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the family of the deceased.
Kanhaiyalal Agarwal, district Trinamul chief and MLA, criticised the use of animals during the carnival. “Animals are unpredictable. The administration did not know that the bullock cart would be used by a puja organiser. What happened is unfortunate. The administration will look into the matter. We (the party) will hold a probe separately,” he said.
Animal activists asked why animals were used during the carnival. “Animals can’t be blamed. Permission to use animals during such a event should not have been granted,” said Goutam Tantia, an official of People for Animals.
District BJP president Basudeb Sarkar blamed the state government for holding Durga Puja carnivals “without proper planning”.
“People are dying because of the mismanagement of the state government and administration. We want exemplary punishment for those whose unwise decisions are responsible for loss of lives during the festive season,” he said