Kerala temple fire- Crime Branch probing three angles

Will the Kerala police probe into the possibility of anti nationals being involved in the fire accident at the Puttingal temple?

The Kerala High Court had two days back in its order stated that every angle must be probed including the possibility of anti nationals being involved.

While the police say that all evidence that they have on hand points to an accident, they will also look into that angle as well.

The probe is at a very early stage and it would be very difficult to say anything for sure as of now, said a police officer involved with the investigation.

Ananthakrishna, the ADGP of the Crime Branch which is probing the case says that the probe is still on. The temple authorities had conducted a competitive display of the fireworks which led to the incident he also added.

Will probe every angle:

The Crime Branch says that all angles will be probed. The intention is to get to the bottom of it and deliver justice to all those who have lost their lives and have been injured, the crime branch also states.

When asked about the probe into the anti national angle as suggested by the High Court, the officials say that they are looking into it.

The Kerala High Court while hearing a Public Interest Litigation petition said that investigators who are on the case currently should also examine the possible "role of anti-nationals." It looks unlikely but we will explore it, the officials also stated.

For the crime branch the most important aspect at this moment is to get the forensic sciences report. A report submitted by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) to the union government had stated that the crackers were not manufactured as per the stipulated size which meant that excess chemicals had been used for louder sound.

The Kerala police is also checking for more details on the three cars that were parked outside the temple laden with firecrackers.

The preliminary probe suggests that the cars belonged to one of the contractors. The firecrackers were meant to be used by one of the teams which was taking part in the competitive display.

Findings by PESO:

-The store house of the temple was not considered in accordance with the norms. A distance of at least 100 feet ought to have been maintained between the firecracker site and the storage room where the explosives were stored.

-There was no emergency disaster plan in place. The police were not ready to execute any disaster management plan despite there being such a big crowd.

-The number of firecrackers used and stored were above the permissible limit.

-The crackers that were manufactured were clearly above the stipulated size. More chemicals were filled for higher impact.

-A barrel used to burst the crackers ought to have been fixed firmly to the ground. However, in this case the barrel was not fixed properly and since its position moved, it caused immense damage.

-The Amittu variety of crackers used in the temple were ten times bigger than the stipulated size.

-No attempts were made by the temple authorities to light up the area and the firecracker show went on despite a ban on it after 10 PM as per the directive of the Supreme Court of India.