The Kerala High Court may take up on Tuesday the issue of putting controls on, or banning fireworks displays in the context of Sunday’s tragedy at Paravur in Kollam district even as the toll in the accident rose to 109 on Monday, with three more persons succumbing to the injuries they suffered in the accident.
Meanwhile, a special team of Kerala Police’s Crime Branch on Monday initiated an investigation into the tragedy at Puttingal Devi Temple. The police have registered a case against six people, including members of the administrative committee and the festival organising committee of Puttingal temple and conductors of the fireworks show, charging them with attempt to murder and attempt to commit culpable homicide under Sections 307 and 308 of the Indian Penal Code.
Meanwhile, three cars filled with explosives and two sacks stuffed with firecrackers were found near the Paravur temple. Police have sought permission to defuse these explosives.
In the meantime, forensic experts aired the suspicion that high-intensity explosive material potassium chlorate, banned for use in fireworks, could have been used in the event. Chief Controller of Explosives Sudarshan Kamal who visited the accident site said that there seemed to be a gross violation of safety and explosives norms.
The tragedy occurred when a massive explosion took place in the storehouse, where the fireworks were kept inside the temple premises, during the pyrotechnic display that was being held as part of religious celebrations. As many as 106 people died in the accident on Sunday while over 350 suffered injuries. Many of the injured are critical, while 14 bodies were yet to be identified.
Even as calls for controls and ban on pyrotechnic shows rose from across the State, Justice V Chidambaresh of the Kerala High Court on Monday wrote a letter to the court’s Registrar General seeking a ban on use of high-decibel and high-intensity explosives at events. The court has reportedly decided to treat the judge’s letter as a PIl.
“The Supreme Court has come down heavily on Jallikattu (bull running sport) held in the name of religious celebrations, then why not fireworks which consume human livesIJ The time is more than ripe for immediate judicial intervention to stop such man-made tragedies…” the judge said in the letter.
However, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages nearly 1,200 temples, has opposed a complete ban on such displays. President of the TDB, Prayar Gopalakrishnan, said the board was against banning pyrotechnics during temple festivals because they are part of rituals.
A division Bench is likely to begin proceedings in this matter on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile a special team has started looking into the accident. Additional DGP Ananthakrishnan, who is supervising the probe, told the media, “We have already constituted a core team by including a Superintendent of Police and three DSPs. Allegations about the role of officials in the tragedy would be looked into on the basis of evidence and statements.”
Suspicions that the Kollam Police could have played a dubious role in the conduct of the fireworks show came up on Monday with Kollam District Collector A Shainamol disclosing that they had submitted to the district authorities two different letters within a span of three days containing diametrically opposite reports on the conduct of the display.
“The police on April 6 reported that permission could not be granted for the show. But on April 9, the Police Commissioner gave a letter on the basis of a report from the Assistant Commissioner, Chathannoor saying that permission could be given for conducting the show as per the rituals of the temple,” said Shainamol.
She said both the officials had been served show-cause notices over this but they decided not to respond. Police Commissioner P Prakash took a position that his priority at the moment was relief work while ACP MS Santhosh said he did not want to comment on the reports as an investigation was underway.
Significantly, the district authorities had denied permission for the show. However, there is speculation that the police changed their earlier stand on permission for the show due to the intervention of a top Congress leader.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechuri, who visited Kollam on Monday, said the Congress-led UDF Government in the State had many crucial questions to answer.