Rohini Adhikary and her mother Sunita Adhikary say they will never forget this Bijaya Dashami. Rohini convinced her mother that she would go to see the “bisarjan” (idol immersion) in Mal river. She is in the hospital right now with a broken hand and a scarred mind.
A teary-eyed Sunita told News18, “Yesterday, she went to see the bisarjan with her sister and brother-in-law. Suddenly the water in the river went up. Rohini told me she fell into it and was swept up by the strong current. My son-in-law jumped in and saved her. It’s a second life for Rohini.”
13 people are now receiving treatment in hospital after a nightmarish horrible experience. “It all happened suddenly and people were drowning in front of our eyes. I am still not able to believe that I am alive,” said a woman.
The hero of the day was Mohamad Manik, a resident of Jalpaiguri, who jumped into the Mal river and saved 10 lives. On Wednesday, he too had gone to witness the Durga idol immersion event. The Teshimola village resident saw people drowning in the flash flood. Being a good swimmer, he was able to pull out 10 people, though he suffered leg injuries. He was taken to the hospital and was discharged late last night.
Eight people are reported dead in the mishap. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday announced ex-gratia of Rs two lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the incident. Each of them also announced Rs 50,000 to the injured.
The CM also tweeted about the tragedy.
A tragic flash flood hit the Mal River in Jalpaiguri as Durga Visarjan was underway. 8 people lost their lives, I pray that their families find strength & solace in these difficult times.
13 people are undergoing treatment at Mal SSH, I pray for their speedy recovery.
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— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 6, 2022
Search and rescue operations by NDRF and SDRF are still underway. Around 70 people were saved by the efforts of the police, Civil Defence Volunteers and local youth. I commend their selfless service.
There have been no reports of missing persons so far.
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— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 6, 2022
An ex-gratia amount of Rs. 2 lakh will be given to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs. 50,000 to the injured. For any assistance kindly reach out to the following helpline numbers- 03561230780 / 9073936815.
Let us stand together in these times of distress.
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— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 6, 2022
Several questions have been raised by the opposition and locals about the mishap.
Videos show there was a huge crowd and locals allege that enough police personnel were not deployed. The role of the police in controlling the gathering is also under a cloud.
There are also allegations that there was an insufficient deployment of civil defence people. The alertness of the administration is also being questioned.
Union minister of state for minority affairs and MP from Alipurduars John Barla visited the spot and also blamed the state’s Trinamool Congress government.
Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari alleged laxity on the part of the state government in ensuring the safety and security of the devotees.
“It is the responsibility of the state government to ensure the safety and security of the devotees. The administration should have been more careful as such flash floods are normal in hilly areas. Also, there is no clarity on the death figures,” he said.
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said the BJP “should give up its habit of politicising everything under the sun”.
“BJP should stop its vulture politics as it will not yield any result. The state government has taken enough steps to ensure proper safety and rescue and relief operations,” he added.
A nine-member BJP team will visit those injured and the families of the deceased on Friday. The party’s state unit chief Sukanta Majumdar has written a letter to the director general of police on the incident.
With puja bisarjan carnivals to take place in the state on Friday, the administration is on alert.
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