SHOPPING ENDS IN PAIN

Aug. 10: At least three people were injured when a rack containing mostly ketchup bottles came crashing down on them at the Big Bazaar store in Esplanade this evening.

The accident occurred around 7pm on the ground floor of the two-storeyed outlet at Metropolitan Building on Jawaharlal Nehru Road.

A customer and two employees were taken to SSKM Hospital. "The X-rays and CT scan reports show their injuries were not serious," an officer of New Market police station said.

The Esplanade outlet is one of the busiest stores the retail chain operates in Calcutta. The footfall is high almost throughout the day, while both floors are packed during the evening.

With less than a week left before Independence Day, the store had a sale going on. "It was raining outside and scores of people entered the store to seek shelter," an employee said.

"I was buying cereals when I suddenly heard a loud sound and cries. I turned and saw a rack had fallen. Many broken ketchup bottles were lying on the floor," said Aarti Dua, a customer.

The store manager dubbed the incident "minor" and said everyone was safe. Around 8.15pm, the shutters came down for the day. Only store employees and cops were inside.

At SSKM Hospital, a contractual employee of the store was seen sitting on a stretcher, his eyes covered in a handkerchief. A relative said a glass shard had entered his left eye. A store employee who whisked him inside the emergency department said only ketchup had entered his eye.

What led to the rack's collapse could not be ascertained till late tonight. "Overcrowding is a possibility but CCTV footage shows only around 8-10 people on both sides of the rack when it suddenly fell to its right," an officer at Lalbazar said.

With the Puja approaching, stores across the city will see a surge in footfall. This evening's accident should prompt the managements of similar outlets to conduct safety drill.

Rumours were doing the rounds that two langoors had entered the Esplanade store and triggered panic among customers, leading to the collapse of the rack. None of the employees and customers Metro spoke to could verify the claim. CCTV footage did not have any trace of langurs, the police officer said.