PM Modi, West Bengal govt announce ex-gratia for Taratala collapse victims; SIT launches probe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the West Bengal government on Thursday announced ex-gratia compensation for the victims of the Taratala godown shed collapse in Kolkata, which claimed nine lives.

While the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced ₹2 lakh each for the families of those killed and ₹50,000 for each of the 20 injured persons, the state government declared an additional ₹10 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased and ₹1 lakh for the injured.

In a post on X, PMO India condoled the deaths and announced the ex-gratia amount. 

West Bengal government forms SIT

To probe the grave mishap, the government of West Bengal has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

According to the official release, the SIT will be headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police Joysurja Mukherjee.

The team will include Inspector Debasis Dutta, Officer-in-Charge of the Homicide Squad (DD); Inspector Hirak Dalapati (DD), who will serve as the new Investigating Officer (IO) of the case; Inspector Sarfaraz Ahmed of the Anti-Rowdy Squad (DD); and Sub-Inspectors Manas Bhattacharya and Kushal Mondal from the Taratala Police Station.

The incident occurred around 12.05 pm on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, when an under-construction warehouse on Transport Depot Road in Taratala collapsed, trapping several labourers under tonnes of concrete debris and twisted metal. 

Kolkata Police noted that all eight victims were declared brought dead at the SKM Hospital. Addressing the reporters after visiting the hospital on Wednesday, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said that 18 of the 20 injured were out of danger.

Police have arrested five people in connection with the collapse, including a building supervisor and two labour suppliers.

Political reactions to the incident

West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the previous Mamata Banerjee-led TMC administration over the incident, declaring that the state government will not bear the aftermath of the previous regime’s actions.

Speaking to the media, Paul announced the immediate suspension of all construction activities. She said work would remain halted until a comprehensive safety audit is completed, with July 31 set as the deadline for submitting the audit report.

Another West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Thursday said “big political names” may be connected to the incident, as he targeted the previous Trinamool Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist) over alleged corruption.

On the other hand, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee on Wednesday described the collapse of the godown shed as a “very sad incident” and demanded a neutral investigation into the approval and construction of the structure, noting that those responsible must face legal action if irregularities are found.

With Agency Inputs