Travancore Devaswom president says board can’t ban firework.
By Dileep Thekkethil
As people in Kerala struggle to come to terms with the devastation caused by fireworks blast in the Puttingal Devi Temple in Kollam that took the lives of over 112 people, the police have arrested five people in connection with the unauthorized “competitive firework showâ€.
Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy on Monday morning confirmed that two more people succumbed to their burns, taking the official number of people who died in the mishap to 112.
The police have confirmed that five people associated with a contractor who was behind the firework display have been arrested.
They added that as part of the competitive fireworks show, the temple authorities gave contracts to two contractors – Surendran and Krishnan Kutty. Surendran, along with his two sons is admitted to the hospital in serious condition, whereas there is no information about Krishnan Kutty and his team.
Thousands of people had thronged into the temple to watch the yearly pyrotechnic show, which is believed to be the most favored offering of the deity.
According to a few reports, sparks from a “sunflower cracker†(the shape produced by the cracker while bursting resembles a fully blossomed sunflower) fell on a minivan which was loaded with powerful pyrotechnics, resulting in a blast that was many times more powerful than a car bomb explosion.
Asianet News reported that one of the contractor’s employees who had a live cracker in his hand, entered the store building, resulting in the blast that took the lives of 112 people.
The Kollam District Collector A Shainamol said “no permission for any kind of fireworks” was granted after the temple came to the administration seeking consent for conducting a “completion fireworkâ€. She also said that there was a serious lapse from the part of the police, who allegedly gave protection for the whole late-night show.
Reuters quoted police officer Anantha Krishnan saying that the five taken into custody were employees of a fireworks manufacturer who was given the contract for running the show at the Puttingal Devi temple.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has ordered for a Crime Branch investigation and a judicial probe on the blast. In the meanwhile, the police have book the temple authorities for conducting illegal firework show.
Police said that are yet to take into custody any of the temple officials as they have been absconding since the blast.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi who rushed to Kollam after knowing about the blast on Sunday said the incident was “heart-rending” and “shocking.”
“There were body parts on the floor and on the roof there was an arm,” a resident was quoted by Reuters.
Several nearby buildings have suffered serious damage due to the exposition as concrete pieces from the blast site reach a distance of 2 KM, breaking the mirror of a private company.
“Before we could realise what had happened, my friend, Jayan, was lying in a pool of blood next to me. A piece of concrete slab had hit his head,” a survivor told Hindustan Times.
According to media reports, relatives of the wounded and dead are searching the blast site for the belongings of their loved once. Handbags, purse and other personal belongings of the injured and dead are piled up in blood stains, says reports.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, along with senior leader from Kerala A K Antony visited the temple and asked for a thorough investigation into the blast that happened just days before the elections.
On the other hand, the Travancore Devaswom Board president, Prayar Gopalakrishnan, said that the board won’t ban fireworks during temple festivals as they are part of rituals.
He said: “But it should be as per the restrictions of government and court orders with sufficient safety measures”
“In various temples fireworks display is part of temple rituals and we cannot ban it”, Gopalakrishnan added.
Accidents caused by fireworks have been increasing in Kerala since the last few years. In the last 3 years, more than 450 people have lost their lives in such incidents.
Shocking video of the blast
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