Subhechcha Ganguly 
On December 14 of last year, a stampede at a blanket donation programme resulted in at least three fatalities, one of whom was a toddler, and at least four injuries. During the BJP’s blanket donation campaign in Asansol in December of last year, the stampede purportedly broke out. According to a senior police officer with the Asansol-Durgapur Police, Tiwari was detained on the Yamuna Expressway in Noida in connection with the stampede that claimed the lives of three people. On December 14 of last year, a stampede at a blanket donation programme resulted in at least three fatalities, one of whom was a toddler, and at least four injuries.
Minutes after BJP lawmaker and leader of the opposition in the state legislative assembly Suvendu Adhikari, who was present at the event, departed the location, there was a stampede. BJP leaders claimed they had contacted the police, despite the police claiming they had not given permission to organise the programme. Chaitali Tiwari, wife of Jitendra Tiwari, serves as councilwoman for the local ward where the event was held. Another officer stated, “We started a FIR (first information report) based on a complaint made by one Sukhen Barui, whose mother Jhali Barui died in the stampede.
In the FIR, Jitendra Tiwari and his wife Chaitali were identified as members of the BJP’s state executive committee and were accused of violating sections 304(ii), 308, and 34 of the Indian Criminal Code.
