Over 60 people were injured and four people, including three engineering students, died in a stampede that happened at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) on Saturday night.
Dhishna, the CUSAT engineering school's annual three-day technical festival, was underway. The second day of the event, which served as a stage for students to demonstrate and polish their technical abilities, was November 25. It was anticipated that two thousand students, including some from other colleges, would attend the event. The Saturday schedule concluded at approximately 5:30 p.m. After 7 o'clock in the evening, students made their way to the university's outdoor auditorium, where playback singer Nikhita Gandhi was due to perform.
There were 1,500 seats in the outdoor auditorium, and the stampede happened at the entrance. There is just one gate on it. To enter the amphitheater, descend twelve steps from the entrance. There is an iron fence surrounding the site. Audiences began streaming into this space through the lone gate after six o'clock. Students wearing Dhishna T-shirts, students from the engineering school, and the event organizers were granted priority.
The general public and students gathered outside the entrance gate in increasing numbers as the musical show's start time drew near. People demand that the gate be opened and that everyone be permitted entry. The audience became more agitated when the police reported that it was raining, even though the majority of the students there denied any precipitation. Just as the gathering was growing, the gate opened for everyone. The abrupt shove from the throng behind caused students who were standing or strolling down the stairs to the outdoor auditorium to fall. These were not easy steps. Those who had fallen were trampled to death by the throng that had entered the theater. The sudden freak stampede left the victims with numerous injuries, severely injured internal organs, and even scarred faces.
According to the CUSAT, the disaster was mostly caused by the steep stairs leading down to the amphitheater and the delay in granting students admission. There was a rush on the steps as volunteers at the gate had to open it for everyone as the crowd began to increase. Students were in charge of organizing and running the program.
In addition to the police investigation, the state government has directed the secretary of the higher education department to conduct a probe. A magistratal investigation into the incident is also being carried out by the district administration. Regarding how events with big attendance figures are run, the government intends to introduce new guidelines or amend current ones. Following the explosion at a Christian gathering in Kochi last month, crowd control guidelines have been sent to all auditoriums. This did not, however, cover activities held on college campuses.
