Puttingal firework mishap: Judicial Commission all set to submit report to government

The tenure of the commission would be ending on May 12 and the decision has been taken not to seek a further extension from the government.

KOCHI: The Justice P S Gopinathan Judicial Commission probing the 2016 Puttingal firework mishap which left over 100 dead is all set to file the final report before the government by the first week of next month, according to sources.

The tenure of the commission would be ending on May 12 and the decision has been taken not to seek a further extension from the government. “The drafting of the report has been completed by now. Now, the final correction has to be made and adequate copies have to be taken. We expect after completing all the paperwork, the report can be filed in the first week of May. The report will be filed before May 12 - the last day of the commission’s tenure,” sources said.

After submitting the report, the government would be tabling it before the Assembly. As many as 111 persons were killed and more than 350 injured in the mishap at Puttingal temple in Paravur, Kollam, on April 10, 2016.

As part of the inquiry, 179 witnesses and 266 documents running into 4,779 pages were examined. The commission held 103 sittings starting on February 2017 at Kochi, Varkala, Asramom and Kollam.  As many as 12 persons were impleaded as a party with the inquiry commission, which comprises the District Collector, Additional District Magistrate, Police Commissioner, Assistant Police Commissioner, circle inspector, sub-inspector and temple committee members.

As part of the inquiry, the commission heard from impleaded persons, experts of explosives, medical practitioners, persons who substantiated rituals followed in the temple, public representatives, scientific experts and the report from a forensic laboratory where the explosives were examined by the police. As part of the inquiry, the commission will look into lapses from the part of the temple management committee, police and district administration.

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