Unchecked entry, jostling & non-working ACs at KK live performance, say eyewitnesses
Unrestricted entry, non-working air-conditioners (ACs) and jostling within the crowd with no air flow on the venue the place many ended up falling within the melee and getting damage. These are the first-person accounts of those that have been among the many viewers on the Nazrul Manch auditorium in Kolkata the place Bollywood singer KK carried out quickly earlier than he died of suspected coronary heart assault late Tuesday.
Krishnakumar Kunnath (53), higher often called KK, was taken sick whereas performing on the annual pageant of city-based Gurudas College.
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As is seen within the movies of the efficiency that surfaced on social media, the singer is seen wiping off sweat and even complaining of sizzling and humid situation contained in the auditorium. Students are seen attempting to barge into the auditorium and even climbing a wall to look at the efficiency.
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Ritojit Ghosh, a second yr pupil on the University of Engineering and Management (UEM), Kolkata, who went to the live performance along with his buddies, mentioned the volunteers and police personnel who have been managing the gang have been abusive and spoke harshly. They even threatened to beat the folks standing consistent with sticks.
“Since I am a high-blood pressure patient, I looked for a spot near the AC that stopped functioning after a while. The auditorium was jampacked and people had no sense of who they were pushing around. Many fell on the ground and got injured in the melee,” he added.
Imanjit Dutta, a 3rd yr pupil from Techno India College, mentioned, “I reached the venue around 5:30pm and there was a commotion at the entrance. The police personnel didn’t even check our passes and let all in. Many people lost their wallets and mobile phones in the crowd. Last day, Vivekananda College had organised the event in a more systematic manner.”
A 3rd-year faculty pupil from Bhubaneswar who didn’t want to be named mentioned, “It was right before the performance that a large crowd arrived at the venue suddenly. The air-conditioning system was not working properly and all my friends and I were sweating profusely. I feel the lack of security at Nazrul Manch made it easier for people to barge in . I didn’t see any help desk or first-aid unit in case of medical emergency.”
Dr Kunal Sarkar, a famous surgeon, mentioned, “The venue was overcrowded and there were some issues with air-conditioning that led to rise in temperature. Then fire extinguisher was sprayed on some unruly audience. Finally, two precious hours were lost before he was taken to hospital.”
Kolkata Police, which have registered a case of unnatural dying, mentioned they have been “scrutinising CCTV footage to understand what happened before KK was taken to the hospital”.
Also, officers of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), which runs Nazrul Mancha, visited the auditorium for inspection.
Meanwhile, Opposition events in West Bengal raised questions over alleged mismanagement on the venue of the live performance, claiming that overcrowding might have performed a task within the vocalist’s dying.
In a tweet, Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari questioned as who was accountable for the singer’s dying. The BJP chief puzzled whether or not it was the administration’s failure after having given permission for the present after which not making “appropriate security arrangements”. “How come audiences, triple the capacity of the venue, were allowed to enter without entry passes? This led to the failure of air-conditioning. Or was it the organisers, the so-called Trinamool Congress student wing leaders who instigated the crowd and threw open the gates,” he mentioned.
“When things went out of control, people were sprayed with fire extinguishers. Thankfully a stampede didn’t take place. Disastrous consequences were possible. An impartial probe must be conducted by an agency to find out who is actually guilty (sic),” he added.
BJP nationwide secretary Anupam Hazra demanded arrest of the present organisers. “Those who organised the show should be arrested for killing a popular and versatile singer by letting him in a suffocating auditorium. It must be found out what was the auditorium capacity and how many were given entry. It must also be ascertained what was the oxygen level inside the venue,” Hazra mentioned in a Facebook submit.
Senior Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury additionally demanded an inquiry into the incident. “The situation at Najrul Mancha during the performance raises many unsavoury questions,” added Chowdhury.
State minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim admitted that there have been extra folks at Nazrul Mancha than it might accommodate. “But everything was fine at the venue. KK was so popular that the young crowd went crazy. Even our officials were saying that Nazrul Mancha should not be rented out for college festivals as students tend to jump on chairs and break them,” mentioned Hakim.
TMC state normal secretary Kunal Ghosh slammed the Opposition events for attempting to politicise an “unfortunate” incident. “The BJP should stop its vulture brand of politics. They should stop politicising deaths. We won’t be surprised if BJP starts claiming that KK was their party leader,” mentioned Ghosh.
KK’s supervisor Hitesh Bhat mentioned that nothing untoward occurred through the present. “Once the performance was over, he went to the hotel where he was staying. But as soon as he entered his room, he fell down. I was with him all the time. He was completely fine during the show. He got into his car (after the performance) and he was feeling cold,” Bhatt advised reporters.
