3 elderly devotees die of heat at Bengal religious fair

Three elderly devotees, including a couple, died while several others fell ill due to heat and humidity at an “overcrowded” religious fair in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Sunday, officials said.

The incident occurred during the 'Doi-Chirey Mela' at a temple of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on the banks of River Hooghly in Panihati.

A doctor attending to the patients at a makeshift medical camp set up in a nearby school said that the deaths were due to excessive heat and dehydration.

Dhrubajyoti Dey, Joint Commissioner of Police, Barrackpore Commissionerate, said that three persons were taken to a hospital after they fell seriously ill owing to the heat amid crowding. They were declared dead on arrival there.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief at the loss of life in the fair.

''Distressed to know of 3 old devotees' death due to heat and humidity in Danda Mahotsav at ISKCON temple at Panihati. CP and DM have rushed, all help being provided. My condolences to the bereaved families, solidarity to devotees,'' she tweeted.

The festival, 'Doi Chirey Mela', is celebrated at Panihati every year on this day to mark the arrival of Shri Chaitanyadev from Puri on the way to his abode at Nabadwip.

Senior West Bengal minister Jyotipriyo Mallick claimed that 10 lakh devotees gathered there this year in place of the usual two lakh people.

Mallick claimed that high day temperature accompanied by humidity caused distress among the devotees, many of whom are elderly.

ISKCON Kolkata Vice-President Radharaman Das said that the chief minister called him up, conveyed her condolences, and assured him of all help from the administration that might be needed. The deceased were identified as Subhash Pal (70), his wife Shukla Pal (60) and their relative Chhaya Das (74), Das said.

The Chairman of the local Panihati Municipality, Moloy Roy, however, claimed that four people including two women died at the fair.

Several other people who had fallen ill were treated at local hospitals, he said.

The fair has been stopped and devotees were requested to return.

The deaths triggered a war of words between the opposition BJP and the ruling Trinamool Congress.

''While the administration is eager to stop BJP leaders from visiting their ransacked party offices in violence-hit areas, it cannot avert deaths in religious gatherings due to its inept handling of the situation,'' state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said.

He asked whether the chief minister would own up to the responsibility for the deaths. Reacting to the BJP leader's comment, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, ''Leaders like Majumdar are so frustrated that they are not hesitating to politicise such tragedies.'' The administration will look into the matter and take appropriate steps, Ghosh said.