University stampede: Kerala Govt seeks inquiry reports from Vice Chancellor, Principal Secretary Higher Education
stampede during a music tech festival at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). The incident has sparked immediate action from Kerala's Higher Education Minister R Bindu, who has called for detailed inquiry reports from the Principal Secretary of Higher Education and the university's Vice Chancellor.
The stampede occurred on a Saturday evening, resulting in the tragic loss of four lives and leaving over 50 individuals injured, some critically.
Minister Bindu affirmed, «Proper guidelines are being issued to prevent such incidents in the future. This is an unprecedented occurrence during the university's tech fests and competitions.»
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Kerala's Law Minister P Rajeev expressed shock at the incident, emphasizing the unprecedented nature of such an event in Kerala.
Rajeev detailed the government's efforts in coordinating rescue operations and medical care for the injured.
Acknowledging the need for comprehensive investigations, Rajeev confirmed the initiation of inquiries by both the university and the government. «We have decided to conduct a thorough inquiry to understand the sequence of events.
The university has undertaken a preliminary inquiry, and we've convened to address this immediately,» stated Minister Rajeev.
Among the deceased, Ann Rifta has been identified, with her mother currently abroad to manage her daughter's educational expenses. Meanwhile, 16 individuals have been discharged from the Kinder Hospital, while two remain in critical condition in the ICU.
The authorities are set to conduct postmortems at Kalamassery Medical College and Ernakulam General Hospital before handing over the bodies to the relatives.
