'Out of love for artiste': TMC MP backs Kolkata police over crowd mismanagement claims at KK's concert

New Delhi: Amid the Opposition’s attack on the West Bengal government alleging crowd mismanagement at the concert of famous Bollywood playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, known as KK, the ruling TMC MP Deepak Adhikari, known as Dev, came out in support of the Kolkata police and the administration. KK, who was in Kolkata for a live concert at the Nazrul Manch, died shortly after his performance due to cardiac arrest on May 31. In the videos that surfaced on social media, KK could be seen sweating profusely and constantly wiping his face while performing. As per reports, KK sang around 20 songs during the live concert despite feeling uneasy. 

Backing the police, actor-turned-TMC MP said that it is "out of love for the artiste" that people come to attend their programme in large numbers. "If the police has to count the number of attendees every time, they will have to stop all rallies too, and not just the musical soirees," Dev was quoted as saying by PTI. 

Further, the TMC MP said even when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its peak, restrictions on the number of people at political rallies were not followed. "Whether it was ours or of others, we have seen lakhs of people attending rallies," the TMC leader said, adding that "if that is right then calling out this programme alone is uncalled for."

The Opposition including the BJP, Congress and CPI(M) has targeted the Mamata Banerjee-led state government over alleged mismanagement during KK’s concert at Nazrul Manch. Demanding a probe by a central agency, West Bengal BJP MP Saumitra Khan had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah questioning why were 7000 people “permitted”  inside the auditorium when its capacity is 3000 people.

On Saturday, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who is often locking horns with the state government, had said that there was "complete failure" on the part of those who were supposed to control the crowd.

Denying claims of overcrowding, Kolkata Police commissioner Vineet Goyal had said that there was no shortage of space at Nazrul Manch during th singer's concert. 

(With agency inputs)