Published Nov 27, 2023 | 8:48 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 27, 2023 | 8:48 PM
An image from the venue following the stampede. (X)
Two students who were critically injured in the stampede at the annual tech festival of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) are now in a stable condition.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Monday, 27 November, said that the students have been shifted from ventilator support and directions have been issued to ensure the service of a psycho-social team to provide mental support to them.
Four people were killed and 60 were injured in the stampede that occurred due to rain, just before renowned singer Nikhita Gandhi was to perform at a musical festival in the open-air auditorium of CUSAT.
Meanwhile, a letter sent to the university registrar by the principal of the engineering college seeking police security during the event went viral on social media.
Earlier, the police said that they had not received any information from CUSAT regarding the music festival. However, the registrar or the vice-chancellor of the university are yet to respond regarding why the letter was not handed over to the police.
The letter written by the principal. (Supplied)
The health bulletin issued by the Health Department on Monday reported that, currently, 18 people are under treatment, with seven in the ICU.
It stated that three are receiving treatment in the ICU of Kalamassery Medical College, two are in Aster Hospital, and two are in Kinder Hospital.
Meanwhile, state Higher Education Minister R Bindu told the media that a special team of officials, including architecture professors, has visited the accident site and will soon submit a detailed report on the incident.
According to officials, the event was an annual festival, and this year it was scheduled to be held from 24 to 26 November. The musical event was organised in an auditorium with a capacity of 1,000 to 1,500 people.
The Kerala government, on Sunday, said it had decided to constitute an expert committee to look into the stampede
Besides that, reports have been sought from the university vice-chancellor and Principal Secretary of the Higher Education Department regarding the tragic incident, the minister had told reporters earlier.
She said that the organisers were responsible for ensuring adequate preparedness for crowd control when such events were being hosted. She added that any further action would be taken after receiving all the reports.
State Law and Industries Minister P Rajeev said that the police had issued advisories to all auditoriums in Ernakulam with regard to crowd control, but educational institutions were not included in them.
He also told reporters that of the four dead, three were students of the university and the fourth was from elsewhere.
Kochi City Commissioner of Police (CP) A Akbar said no official requisition was received from the university for police help.
Four lives were lost following the stampede and three students — Athul Thambi, Ann Ruftha and Sara Thomas — were students at the university.
The fourth person who died was Palakkad resident Alwin.
The open-air auditorium on campus, located near the canteen and the Student Amenities Centre, was scheduled to hold a music concert by Nikhita Gandhi when the stampede occurred.
The event, which took place on the final day of the three-day annual Tech Fest, Dhishna, was ticketed. Those who had a gate pass received a black “Dhishna” T-shirt.
According to sources, the gates opened at 5:30 pm, and invitees were told they would close at 7:30 pm.
However, at about 7 pm, severe rain lashed the campus, prompting many gathered outdoors to run into the nearby roofed auditorium. People went over the auditorium stairs during the uproar, causing the stampede, ADGP MR Ajithkumar told reporters.
According to the senior police officer, the auditorium — which has a single access and exit point and a capacity of 2,000 — was only “partly filled” during the rush.
According to estimates, there were approximately 800 individuals inside the auditorium during the rush.
Reports said the crowd included those who did not have the passes. They had gathered outdoors to watch the event.
According to CUSAT Vice-Chancellor PG Sankaran, the institution had informed the police about the programme.
However, as Kochi was hosting a home game of the Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League, most of the city’s police presence was concentrated in and around the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kaloor.
“The exit and entry through the same gate had caused the stampede,” stated Municipal Kalamassery Councillor P Pramod.
“As the students were trying to enter through the same gate, those who fell were stomped over by those who rushed in,” he explained.
According to CUSAT VC Sankaran, around 2,500 students from the institution attended the programme on Saturday. Residents and students from adjacent institutions were also present on the campus at the time of the disaster.
(With PTI inputs)
