MADRAS: Not less than 100 people died in the stampede at the Mahamaham festival in Kumbakonam on February 18, is the conclusion reached by to fact finding earn of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Tamil Nadu branch,
‘The four member team which visited Kumbakonam on February 23 & 24 also found evidence of two lathi charges on the crowd. One inside the tank to prevent the crowd getting close to the visiting Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha and another at the northwestern entry to the tank leading to the stampede.
- Suresh, one of the team members, told reporters that contrary to the version put out by the state government on February 20 that a grill had collapsed on the northern end of the tank leading. To the stampede, PUCL had found that the stampede had led to people trying to seek shelter in the dharmashata, scaling the grill, leading to its collapse.
PUCL also rebutted the stale government’s statement that food packets were being distributed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad at the dharmashala leading 10 people jostling and the consequent stampede, PUCL which spoke to government officials, well-known local citizens, political leaders, persons injured in the stampede, photographers and other eyewitnesses said that the VHP had not distributed food packets at the dharmashala. To back us finding, PUCL points to the government order which had forbidden distribution of food packets anywhere near the tank ‘on that day.
Demanding a judicial inquiry into the Mahamaham wagedy, the PUCL said that the magisterial inquiry ordered by the government would not be objective given the fact that the executive ‘magistrate is a government servant.
Moreover, PUCL points out, the additional collector of than javur, ‘who had been appointed as the magistrate was the same official who was in charge of making arrangements for the festival.
‘The PUCL report which will be submitted to the government, also says that the arrangements made for entry and exit of the pilgrims were given up after the Chief Minister announced her visit days before the festival. The chief minister’s presence led 10 the blocking off of the south
‘western end of the tank, 2 large section of the western end as also the southern end, The result was that there was only one exit point for the lakhs of devotees in the tank, PUCL has found.
PUCL has also contested the government’s claim that the stampede had occurred after the chief minister left the tank. Several of the victims and eye witnesses told PUCL that the stampede had occurred before the police fried buckshot signaling the auspicious moment at 11:52 pam, when the chief minister was present.
PUCL also says that the chief ‘minister’s presence had contributed to the disaster. The team found that many appeals had been sent by Kumbakonam residents as well as from the VHP to the chief minister and other VIPS not to attend the festival because ‘it would cause dislocation of the arrangements in view of the high security status of Ms. Jayalalita. However this appeal signed by about persons seems to have been ignored, PUCL says.
PUCL has accused both ‘AIADME and the VHP of making political capital out of a religious event. In fact, UCL says that usurping of the loudspeaker meant to pass on messages of interest was used to show praises on the chief minister, to confusion during stampede.
According to the PUCT, to the ‘government’s claim none of the ‘deaths had been drowning, many of the victims indeed drowned. PUCL the government with ‘waiving mortem procedures in order obfuscate the fact that some of the victims had drowned and ‘some others had been injured in lathi charge.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 27, 1992
