Students not to be blamed for Cochin University stampede, says Kerala High Court

The Kerala High Court said there should not be any "blame game" on the students as it would leave a big impact on them. 

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday said the students of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) should not be blamed for the stampede which occurred on November 25 when four people were killed and over 60 were injured.

Justice Devan Ramachandran orally observed that there should not be any "blame game" on the students as it will leave a big impact on them.

The court added that some systems failed, and valuable lives were lost in the accident, which it called "painful".

The stampede occurred before singer Nikhita Gandhi was to perform at a musical festival in the university's open-air auditorium.

The remarks on the stampede were made while the court was considering a petition filed by state president of the Kerala Students Union (KSU), Alochious Xavier, who sought a judicial enquiry into the incident. The KSU is the student wing of the Congress party in Kerala.

The court observed, "The petitioner seeks judicial enquiry into the incident, but this court is not sure whether this should be ordered at this stage. This is because the learned Additional Advocate General and Sri Aravindakshan Pillai submit that certain enquiries have already been commenced - both by the official agencies and by the university. This Court will certainly require details of such enquiries."

The Court directed the Additional Advocate General and the government pleader to submit a report with instructions on the nature of enquiries that have already been initiated by the state government.

A day after the incident, the Kerala government had said it decided to constitute an expert committee to look into the stampede.

"The incident in question has perhaps never happened in Kerala before, and it is shocking because of the horrible aftermath it has left. Brilliant lives, who could have been treasures to the nation, were lost and, obviously, answers will have to be found, so that solutions can then be put in place, merely not as a Pavlovian reaction, but with certainty," the court observed.

The court also said that utmost care also must be taken by every stakeholder that the minds of the young people involved are not subjected to a blame game or guilt during the enquiries as the event is stated to have been organised by the students themselves.

Published By:
chingkheinganbi mayengbam
Published On:
Dec 6, 2023