Support would be extended by the government to cover medical expenses for the injured persons receiving treatment, even in private hospitals.
Published Nov 15, 2023 | 2:58 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 15, 2023 | 3:00 PM
The convention centre where the blasts occurred in Kochi. (Supplied)
The Kerala government on Wednesday, 15 November, decided to provide financial assistance of ₹5 lakh each to the families of those who had lost their lives in a series of blasts at a gathering of the followers of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kalamassery near Kochi last month.
A Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, decided to grant the relief amount from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund, a CMO statement said.
Five people died in the blasts, with two of them occurring on 29 October, the day of the blast.
Additionally, the CMO said that support would be extended to cover the medical expenses of the injured persons receiving treatment, even in private hospitals.
As many as 17 people who were injured in the blasts are still undergoing treatment in various hospitals in Kochi, the bulletin by a medical board constituted to treat those who were wounded in the incident said on 12 November.
Of them, eight are in ICU with one in critical condition, and the remaining nine in wards, it said.
The blasts were set off at a religious gathering of a Christian sect known as Jehovah’s Witnesses.
A 12-year-old girl named Libina from Malayattoor had succumbed to her injuries on 30 October at the Kalamassery Government Medical College Hospital, and two women who were part of the gathering were killed on the day of the blasts.
Subsequently, 61-year-old Moly Joy from Kalamassery died at a private hospital on 6 November.
Over 50 people were injured, some seriously, during the multiple blasts at an international convention centre in Kalamassery.
They had gathered for the final day of a three-day-long prayer meeting of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
A few hours after the incident, a man — Dominic Martin — said to be an estranged member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, surrendered before the police in Thrissur district, claiming he carried out the multiple blasts. The police later recorded his arrest.
In addition to Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (punishment for murder) and Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act, relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) have also been invoked against Martin.
On 6 November, a Kochi court granted the police 10 days custody of Martin.
Several cases were also registered following the blast against spreading hatred via social media in connection with the blast.
On 8 November, the Kerala Police booked right-wing vlogger Lasitha Palakkal over an objectionable campaign allegedly made to connect People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Abdul Nasar Mahdani with the blast.
On 4 November, Kerala police said that 54 cases were registered against several people for spreading communally instigative content through social media after the blasts.
The most number of cases — 26 cases — was registered in the Malappuram district, followed by 15 in Ernakulam, and five in Thiruvananthapuram.
Thrissur city and Kottayam reported two cases each, while Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Palakkad, and Kozhikode Rural have one case each.
The Kerala Police had registered two cases against Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar for allegedly making statements that could promote enmity between different groups through social media posts concerning the blasts.
The Ernakulam Central Police registered a case against him over the same incident based on a complaint by KPCC digital media convenor P Sarin.
BJP national secretary and spokesperson Anil K Antony was also booked for his social media posts based on the complaint of the Congress leader.
(With PTI inputs)
