Kolkata: Three women were killed and five injured in a stampede at a blanket distribution event in West Burdwan district’s Asansol on Wednesday evening.
West Bengal’s Leader of Opposition (BJP) Suvendu Adhikari was the chief guest at the event, which was organised by former Asansol mayor and BJP leader Jitendra Tewari.
According to eyewitnesses, the stampede took place due to overcrowding, soon after Adhikari left the venue after addressing the crowd.
The injured people are being treated at Asansol district hospital.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) wasted no time in blaming BJP for the mishap, claiming that the event was organised with police permission.
“This is a very unfortunate incident… Suvendu Adhikari did not take permission for the event. In the name of blanket distribution, Adhikari called a large number of people to a place, which did not have the capacity to accommodate such a large crowd… Total lack of coordination. Suvendu Adhikari played with the lives of poor people. He is doing politics without any sense of moral responsibility.” said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
