Kerala stampede: 4 dead at Nikhita Gandhi's concert, probe ordered
At least four people were killed and 65 others injured in a stampede at the annual festival of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) in Kerala on Saturday. The incident reportedly took place when sudden rainfall began as students gathered at the college's open-air auditorium for a music concert featuring Bollywood singer Nikhita Gandhi. The Kerala government has launched a probe into the incident. Meanwhile, the singer said she was "heartbroken and devastated" by the incident.
Sudden rainfall led to stampede before Gandhi's concert
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) MR Ajith Kumar termed the tragedy a "freak accident," per The Hindu. He claimed the sudden downpour caused the audience to rush toward the auditorium using the stairs, leading to the stampede and subsequent fatalities. Contrary to initial reports, eyewitnesses reportedly said the incident occurred before Gandhi's performance at 6:00pm. They claimed that although entry to the concert was limited to ticket holders, several local residents were also present outside the auditorium.
Police personnel were busy with ISL match
There are also reports that organizers failed to put up enough safety measures, despite the college being the first in the country to start a BTech in Safety and Fire Engineering program in 2003. It is unclear as to whether police or security officials were posted at the venue to manage the crowd. However, university Vice-Chancellor PG Sankaran said the institution had alerted the police about the event, but most of them were preoccupied with an ISL match in Kochi.
65 students injured in tragic incident, 4 critical
State Health Minister Veena George confirmed that four students—two girls and two boys—were pronounced dead upon arrival at Kalamassery Medical College Hospital (KMCH). Around 65 students are currently receiving treatment at the KMCH and other nearby facilities. Four of them were reportedly in critical condition. The musical event was held in an auditorium with a capacity of 1,000 to 1,500 people during the three-day annual festival, which began on Friday. The auditorium is said to have one entrance and exit.
State Education minister forms 3-member committee to investigate incident
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called an emergency meeting after the incident at the government guest house in Kozhikode. He also canceled several of his scheduled engagements, including cultural events in "Nav Kerala Sadas." The CM also instructed doctors to provide good treatment for the injured. While George has been given responsibility for the injured persons, State Education Minister R Bindu has formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident.
Gandhi, political leaders express condolences
Soon after the incident, singer Gandhi expressed her sorrow and shock in a social media post, stating that the incident occurred before she left for the venue. "No words are possibly enough to express this profound grief. My prayers go out to the families of the students," she wrote on Instagram. Meanwhile, Vijayan and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi offered their condolences to the affected families and wished a speedy recovery for the injured students.
What Nikhita posted on Instagram
Who is Nikhita Gandhi?
Gandhi is a popular Bollywood singer who has given her voice to several Hindi songs. She also sings in Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, and Kannada movies. Her song, Leke Prabhu ka naam, also featured in Salman Khan's recent flick Tiger 3. Other popular songs include Kafirana from the movie Kedarnath, Poster Lagwa Do from the film Luka Chupi, and songs in the Shiddat movie. She is also popular for her fashion on social media.
