KOCHI: The evening of November 25, 2023, was meant to be filled with fun and laughter. But it turned into a never-ending nightmare for Cusat students and the kith and kin of the four youngsters who died in a stampede at the amphitheatre. Though a year has passed, the wounds remain fresh. And the amphitheatre where the tragic incident took place stands desolate with a gloomy aura shrouding it.
The series of events that ultimately led to the stampede on the Cusat campus in Kalamassery was set off around 5pm when the audience began to make their way into the amphitheatre for the Nikhita Gandhi concert, which had been organised as part of the annual tech-fest by Cusat’s School of Engineering (SoE). Though the concert was scheduled to begin at 7.30pm, the venue began filling up as early as 5pm. The accident occurred around 6.55pm.
Two versions of what led to the stampede began doing the rounds soon after the incident.
According to one, the stampede happened after people standing outside the amphitheatre began jostling to get inside after it started raining. However, as per eyewitnesses, there was no rain.
The police version was that the venue was partially filled but students were crowding the gate, located some 10-15 feet away on higher ground. The cops had said that when the gate suddenly opened, those waiting fell over each other. The accident was termed freak. It was thought the sudden rain may have forced the concertgoers to run for cover and force open the gate, leading to the accident.
But what exactly led to the accident that claimed four lives including those of three School of Engineering students? The question remains unanswered, as the police are yet to submit the special investigation report. Even the renovation or modification of the amphitheatre, the construction flaws of which had been hotly debated, seems to lag on with no activity whatsoever happening in that direction. The university had even allocated `10 crore in its budget for the purpose.
However, the university claims that steps have been initiated to that effect.
“The amphitheatre will be opened only after modifying it as recommended by the technical committee,” says Cusat Vice Chancellor Junaid Bushiri.
The VC blames the delay in the submission of the special investigation report for the university’s inability to proceed with the modification.
The technical committee has recommended a slew of measures, the VC says.
Among them are the construction of a ramp, installing proper lighting and CCTV cameras, entrusting electrical works with a licensed operator, removing additional barriers that restrict free-movement, displaying all safety information prominently, installing a proper fire-fighting system, and a strict adherence to the guidelines issued by the state government when organising a programme on the campus, he says.