Kochi: The investigation team has submitted the investigation report to the Kerala High Court on the tragic incident of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) stampede in Kochi, which claimed four lives.
The investigation reports suggest that the primary cause of the stampede was allowing 4000 people to enter the university auditorium, which has a capacity to accommodate only 1000 people. The overcrowding in the congested area occurred without any precautionary measures. People from outside the university led to the failure in crowd management by the volunteers, intensifies the severity of the accident.
According to the report, the stampede resulted from organizational failures and a lack of expertise in crowd management. It also points out that CUSAT’s annual tech festival ‘Dhishna’ in 2023 was hosted after three years, as the tech festival was not held for last three years due to Covid-19 pandemic protocols. The students organized it with great enthusiasm as a revival, leading to an overwhelming number of participants for each program. However, the lack of experience in handling the programmes by students is also considered a contributing factor.
The report emphasizes the need to renovate the structure of the open-air auditorium (amphitheater) at CUSAT, where the tragic incident took place.
On November 25 (Saturday), 2023 around 7 pm several individuals, including students from the campus and outsiders, had gathered at the CUSAT open-air auditorium to attend a music concert by popular singer Nikhita Gandhi. This concert was part of the University’s annual festival, known as ‘Dhishna,’ inaugurated on November 24th.
However, a sudden downpour disrupted all the arrangements, leading to people waiting outside pushing into the auditorium. Simultaneously, students inside rushed to exit, causing chaos as there was only one available gate. Amidst the commotion, individuals were pushed and fell due to the steep steps, resulting in the tragic loss of four lives.
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