KOCHI: The Cusat registrar on Wednesday informed the High Court that KSU president Aloshious Xavier had filed the petition seeking a judicial probe into the stampede deaths for “political gain”. “The KSU president is abusing the process of law with mala fide intentions,” Cusat registrar V Meera said in a counter affidavit. The registrar clarified that a police investigation and three other inquiries are on into the incident.
Four persons, including three engineering students, were killed and several others injured on November 25 in a stampede on the second day of Dhishna 2023, the three-day tech fest organised by the School of Engineering at the amphitheatre on the Cusat campus.
The registrar submitted that two days after the incident, the Cusat syndicate held a meeting and decided to constitute a three-member sub-committee comprising syndicate members – K K Krishnakumar, Sasi Gopalan and V J Laly – to study the lapses in the organisation of DHISHNA 2023 and come up with recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future.
“A Special Investigation Team headed by Assistant Commissioner, Thrikkakkara, is investigating the crime registered by the Kalamassery police station. This investigation is progressing. Besides, the government had directed the director of collegiate education and the director of technical education to conduct a preliminary inquiry. Based on the report, the government had constituted an expert committee to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident.
The district collector also ordered a magisterial inquiry in addition to the police investigation. The report is yet to be submitted,” the affidavit said. Meanwhile, Cusat professor (safety and fire engineering) Dipak Kumar Sahoo has filed a petition before the court seeking to implead him as an additional respondent. He submitted that he was the principal of the School of Engineering at the time of the unfortunate incident.
Immediately after the incident, the university ordered him to step down from the post of principal and hand over the charge to Sobha Cyrus as an inquiry into the deaths had been initiated by the syndicate sub-committee.
“I may be allowed to implead myself as the additional 12th respondent in the writ petition so that I can answer the allegations against me,” Sahoo submitted.
EX-PRINCIPAL’S PLEA
Cusat professor Dipak Kumar Sahoo, principal at the time of the incident, has filed a petition before the court seeking to implead him as an additional respondent so that he can answer the allegations raised against him.