Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata

Kolkata, Oct 20: Kolkata Police registered 726 cases of traffic violations across the city on Ashtami night, including incidents of two-wheeler riders not wearing helmets, triple riding, rash driving and drunk driving, officials said on Tuesday.

According to figures released by Lalbazar, the Kolkata Police headquarters, 231 cases were registered against two-wheeler riders for not wearing helmets, while 155 cases involved triple riding.

Another 90 cases were registered for rash or reckless driving and 81 for drunk driving. The remaining 169 cases involved other traffic violations, police said.

Kolkata witnessed tight security arrangements during Durga Puja this year, with increased police patrolling and surveillance across the city. Special vigilance was maintained throughout the festival to prevent reckless and drunk driving.

Surveillance operations began on the night of Panchami this year, with the number of arrests also increasing. The number of cases registered for traffic violations has nearly doubled compared to the initial days of the Puja celebrations.

Until the first Saptami on Saturday, around 450 such cases had been registered. The number increased to 833 on the second Saptami on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a tragic stampede at the Chorebagan Sarbojonin Durga Puja pandal in north Kolkata on Saptami claimed 19 lives on Saturday, while at least 25 people were injured.

Security has since been stepped up around major Durga Puja pandals across the city following the incident.

Seven people have been arrested in connection with the stampede. A senior police officer said investigators were examining a video in which an announcer could allegedly be heard saying that the pandal was about to collapse.

“We are trying to identify who made the announcement and what prompted it,” the officer told a news agency.