KOCHI: In an incident that could have proved to be tragic, over 200 people who had gathered for the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Fort Kochi sought medical help after they were almost crushed in the throng. A large crowd had gathered at the Veli ground to witness the burning of Pappanji. Space constraints resulted in jostling and with people pressed tight against each other many complained of suffocation.
It could have easily turned disastrous, a homestay owner said on condition of anonymity. “I was reminded of the Seoul stampede that led to the death of more than a hundred people. The same thing could have happened here,” he said.
“More than five lakh people had arrived in Kochi to take part in the celebrations. It can be easily assumed that the number of people at Veli ground was more than the place could hold. People were spilling into the compounds of nearby houses to escape getting suffocated,” said Sivadathan M P, president of the Kerala Homestay and Tourism Society (K-HATS).
The event was happening after a Covid-induced two-year break, he said. “Huge crowds were to be expected. Even though the police tried their best to contain the traffic and the arrival of people to the ground, everything went haywire,” Sivadathan said.
According to a person whose house is located near the ground, the melee happened when people started moving after Pappanji was burned. “A woman cried out that she couldn’t breathe and fainted. This was followed by more people trying to escape the press. People who were trying to escape entered residential compounds and destroyed more than a lakh worth of property,” he said.
According to Sivadathan, “Nobody is against the conduct of such an event. It is our pride. However, more needs to be done in terms of arrangements to facilitate a seamless viewing experience for tourists and visitors. This can be done only by improving the infrastructure.” The residents’ associations and other organisations in Fort Kochi are planning to take up the matter with disaster management authorities and the district administration.
“Something needs to be done since the crowds might be bigger next year. Kochi is becoming a happening place in terms of tourism,” he added. Even transportation facilities like the Ro-Ro service fell short of the scheduled number of special runs announced by authorities.
There was nothing untoward, say cops
Kochi city police maintain that there was no untoward incident reported during the New Year’s Eve celebrations in Fort Kochi. “We had expected a large crowd and we successfully managed them without any untoward incident reported at the venue. Over 800 police officials were on duty from Saturday 2 pm to Sunday 3 am. After the event, the crowd was dispersed within an hour’s time. Crowd management was carried as per the arrangements made by organisers of the event and local authorities,” said a senior ranked officer who was deployed in Fort Kochi.