Anushilani Club blamed for Raniganj’s carnival oxen case

Cop probe initiated after daughter of deceased files police complaint against puja club which brought animals to the event

The pair of oxen that went berserk and attacked people in Raiganj on Friday.: File Picture

Koushik Sen   |   TT  |  Raniganj   |  10.10.22 : The daughter of Sadhan Karmakar, 65, who died after being butted by an ox during the Durga Puja carnival here on Friday evening, filed a written police complaint on Sunday against the puja club which brought animals to the event.

Members of Anushilani Club, blamed by Julie Karmakar for her father’s death, have apologised for the incident. Police have begun a probe.

A district list cites Trinamul’s Raiganj MLA Krishna Kalyani as the president of the club’s Durga Puja committee, but the MLA has denied it.

Anushilani Club, one of the many puja organisers at the carnival, hired three bullock-carts to carry idols at the event. But music, crackers and lights made two oxen yoked to one of the carts run amok and butt many people with horns. Among those injured, Karmakar, the president of  another puja club, died on Saturday.

Animal lovers and political parties questioned the use of animals in the carnival.

Julie Karmakar, daughter of the deceased, in a written complaint to Raiganj police, claimed that the decision of the president and secretary of Anushilani Club of using oxen at the carnival was responsible for her father’s death.

Sujan Pal, a functionary of the club, said: “We hired the oxen for the carnival to add diversity but never imagined that such an unfortunate incident would occur. We have no words to apologise for what happened.”

Club members blamed the ambience of the carnival for the frenzy of the oxen. Police are probing the matter.

The name of MLA Kalyani cropped up as the president of Anushilani Club’s Puja committee in the list of the participants of the carnival provided by the district information and culture department.

Kalyani, however, summarily distanced himself from the club committee. "I have no association with the club. I have nothing to do if a club uses my name without my permission. Whatever happened is heartrending,” the MLA said.