KOCHI: Even as a police investigation is on into the reasons behind the stampede at Cusat, the state Special Branch has also submitted a preliminary report to ADGP Intelligence stating key lapses. The Special Branch officials are also collecting more details from eyewitnesses, organisers and outsiders who were among the crowd that had assembled outside the amphitheatre to attend the musical concert.
Meanwhile, the police investigation team on Monday recorded the statements of 10 persons who were injured in the stampede. One of the major lapses found in the investigation is that the organisers kept the single entry and exit gate closed for over two hours. A top police officer told TNIE that prior to the stampede only a few students from the School of Engineering (SoE) were inside the venue.
“Almost 80% of the auditorium was empty before the accident. There was sufficient space inside. The eyewitnesses claim that the crowd started building up outside the auditorium from 5 pm onwards and they waited there till 7 pm.
The crowd became desperate to enter inside once it started drizzling and some music started playing. The tragedy could have been avoided had the organisers been able to see the crowd outside and the space available inside,” the officer said.
It is also learnt the students who were organising the event told the investigation team that a delay in the programme meant they could not open the amphitheatre’s sole gate even by 7 pm.
“The gates were kept closed to ensure that all students of CoE entered first. But several of them were also standing outside,” the officer added.
Seven students in ICU
Eighteen students who were injured in the Cusat stampede are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the city. Seven other students are in the intensive care unit. Twenty patients were discharged from the Government Medical College, Kalamassery, after treatment on Sunday.