What started off as a grand event in the presence of a galaxy of stars and political bigwigs soon turned into a pandemonium.

The inaugural function of the Tollygunge-Garia Bazaar Metro extension on Saturday saw a maddening crowd at the Tollygunge venue with dented security leaving behind a young

boy unconscious and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee rescheduling her programme.

Chaos ruled the star-studded ceremony as thousands of fans thronged the inaugural site to catch a glimpse of the Tollywood stars. Despite the presence of VVIPs like Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukerjee and a host of cabinet ministers, security arrangements were thrown haywire.

While the canopy and podium where the inaugural ceremony was taking place saw hundreds spilling into by breaking the

barricades, even officials who were there to handle the crowd found it difficult to restrict people from rushing into the Tollygunge Metro station.

According to RPF sources, 290 of their officers were deployed for duty, but things became unmanageable when fans started pouring in. Even Mamata Banerjee, who was supposed to take one of the trains to Garia Bazaar along with a few other dignitaries, decided against it and left for the day.

Officials claimed that of the total of 115 West Bengal police personnel who were supposed to be on duty for the four stations, only 50-odd turned up.

Trinamool supporters swarmed the area and people from far-off places filed in too.

With only a handful of guards posted inside the canopy near the audience and the majority keeping a watch on the security of those on the dais, the situation became unmonitored from time to time.

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