Opposition questions arrangement at KK concert venue, allege overcrowding led to singer’s death
As videos of the final concert of KK went viral on social media showing an overcrowded venue in Kolkata, Opposition parties Wednesday raised questions over the arrangements at the state-run Nazrul Mancha and the security lapses which they said could have played a role in the singer’s death.
Singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, died in Kolkata late on Tuesday at the age of 53. He was in Kolkata for a two-day concert, and took ill while performing at the annual festival of Gurudas College at Nazrul Mancha. The 53-year-old was rushed to CMRI Hospital where doctors said the singer died of a suspected heart attack.
Videos of KK’s final performance emerged on social media where the singer was seen wiping off sweat and allegedly complaining about the hot and humid condition inside the auditorium. Several videos also went viral showing students trying to break inside the auditorium and even climbing a wall to see KK’s live performance.
Senior Congress leader Adhir Chowdhury condoled the death of the popular singer and demanded an inquiry into the incident. “All said and done I do demand a thorough inquiry behind the sad demise of singer #KK by a competent authority. The prevailing ambience of the Najrul Mancha during his performance reveals many unsavoury questions including critical mismanagement of the said platform which might have been triggered his death,” added Chowdhury.
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PremiumBJP national secretary Anupam Hazra demanded the arrest of the organiser of the show. “Those who organised the show should be arrested for killing a popular and versatile singer by sending him inside a suffocating auditorium. It must be found out what was the capacity of the auditorium and how many were allowed an entry. What was the capacity of the air conditioning system and whether that was adequate for such a large gathering? It must also be found out the oxygen level inside the venue,” said Hazra in a Facebook post.
State minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim admitted that there were more people at Nazrul Mancha than it could accommodate but said everything was fine at the venue. “KK was so popular that the young crowd went crazy over his concert. Even our officials were saying that Nazrul Mancha should not be rented out for college fests as students tend to jump on the chairs and break them,” said Hakim.
“When a popular singer like KK comes to Kolkata for a live concert, naturally they (organisers) could not control the entry of the audience. The air-conditioning system at Nazrul Mancha is sound and in perfect condition. But if more people enter the auditorium exceeding its capacity then the atmosphere also changes inside it. The AC has a capacity to handle the capacity of 2,700 people. But if 7,000 people turn up then it will not be adequate,” he added.
The senior TMC leader added that he also came to know that some students even tried to climb up the wall and enter the venue. “The crowd could not be controlled. The police cannot resort to lathicharge when people want to listen to a live concert. But the incident remains a tragic one and no one knows when a person will die. Now I am speaking to you, the next moment I could die of a heart attack. No one can predict the future.”
Following the death of KK, officials from Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), which runs the auditorium, visited Nazrul Mancha for inspection.
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KK’s manager Hitesh Bhatt said that “nothing untoward happened during the show”. “After his performance, he went to the hotel where he was staying. But as soon as he entered his room, he fell down. He did not get up after that. 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. But after entering his room, he fell down on his face,” Bhatt told reporters.
A post mortem was conducted on his body at the SSKM Hospital on Wednesday and his mortal remains will be kept at Rabindra Sadan in the afternoon where he will be accorded a gun salute.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Police have registered a case of unnatural death over the demise of the renowned Bollywood singer at New Market Police Station under whose jurisdiction falls the five-star hotel where KK had put up and felt unwell before being taken to the hospital.
