Man dies days after scuffle at Panihati fest

Kolkata: A 28-year-old man died after being seriously injured during a chaotic incident at the Panihati Mela while attending a performance by popular Bollywood singer Ankit Tiwari.

The festival in Panihati began on December 20 at the Amrabati ground, where Tiwari was invited to perform. The victim, identified as Tanmoy Sarkar, a resident of Ghola, Sodpur in North 24-Parganas, had gone with friends to enjoy the festival.

During the event, a bumping incident occurred between groups of attendees while dancing in the crowd. Although tensions briefly eased with others intervening, the conflict reignited after the mela ended.

According to reports, as people were leaving, Tanmoy was separated from his companions and led into a nearby lane by individuals who were involved in the earlier scuffle.

There, he was allegedly beaten severely. Injured and in critical condition, he was first taken to Panihati State General Hospital and then shifted to Sagar Dutta Medical College Hospital in Kamarkhati.

Due to worsening conditions, he was later moved to R.G. Kar Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on Wednesday night after fighting for his life for three days. An FIR has been filed at Khardaha police station alleging planned murder, and an investigation is underway. The incident has raised concerns about festival security and crowd safety.