Kerala HC Judge calls for ban on high power fireworks in temple celebrations after Puttingal tragedy

A day after the tragedy at the Puttingal Temple, Kollam in Kerala, some Kerala HC judges have sought ban on high power fireworks in temple celebrations. Paying heed to the suggestion, the Kerala HC will be listening to the suggestion during a special session tomorrow.

The Puttingal temple tragedy, which reported an initial death toll of 108 increased to 109 and the number of injured people assumed to be anywhere around 400, has evoked reactions from all parts of the country, with President Pranab Mukherjee sending in his condolences to the Kerala CM Oomen Chandy.

Disaster struck the crowded precincts of the Puttingal Devi Temple at Paravur, south of Kollam, around 3.30 a.m. when an entire dump of fire crackers meant to be burst to mark the conclusion of the Meena-Bharani festival exploded, killing over 40 persons instantly, maiming many more and causing extensive damage to nearby buildings. The impact was so severe that even the temple clock stopped ticking at the time of impact & ndash 3:10 A.M & ndash a witness to the extreme impact the firecracker explosions had on the surroundings. According to onlookers, the disaster was caused when a firecracker supposed to burst in air fell to the ground. This resulted in sparks flying in every direction and thus leading to the huge explosion.

Kerala Police on Monday detained at least five people who were involved in conducting the fireworks show at the temple in the wee hours of Sunday. Top sources in the Kerala Secretariat and the Kollam District Collectorate said that both Additional District Magistrate A Shanavas and District Collector A Shainamol, who were instrumental in denying permission for the fireworks, were bullied and threatened by local politicians and Hindu groups, with communal motives attributed to their actions. Both Shanavas and Shainamol are Muslims.

Condolences have been flowing in from round the globe and many people also have volunteered to help the victims out. The CM has also offered monetary compensation to the victim of up to 2 lakh rupees. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called PM Modi late Sunday evening to offer his condolences to the victims of the Kollam temple tragedy. Putin expressed condolences to his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Kremlin press service reported. The Russian President conveyed words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims and wished a speedy recovery for the injured.

OUR TAKE

The tragedy should really open the eyes of the state governments to the barbaric levels of dishonesty and corruption present in the country. Having being banned against the use of fire crackers in temple provinces, hooligans threatening the authorities is a shameful act. The devotees go to the temple with hopes of a new rejuvenated lease of life and in this case came with the cruel gift of death. In greed of a few moments of fun and frolic, the people responsible for this tragedy put the lives of hundreds of people in danger. Recklessness and dishonesty of the culprits proved to be too costly for the residents of the coastal Kerala city.