Kerala Police to submit stampede report to HC by Jan 20

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 18 (PTI) Kerala police on January20 will submit to the High Court, a report on the stampede atPullumedu that claimed 102 lives of Sabarimala pilgrims, a toppolice official said today.

"As required by the court, the police department wouldsubmit its report on January 20," DGP Jacob Punnose toldreporters at Thrissur.

Pulling up the government, a Division bench had yesterdayasked the Police and Forest departments and the TravancoreDevaswom Commissioner to submit a report on the tragedy.

Travancore Devaswom Board manages affairs at the shrine inSabarimala.

The Bench, comprising Justices Thottathil Radhakrishnanand P S Gopinathan, monitoring the affairs relating toSabarimala pilgrimage, sought to know the circumstances thatled to the stampede and how the situation was handled by thedepartments concerned.

The judges also expressed displeasure over the neglect ofwarning given by the court earlier this month about the needto regulate the flow of pilgrims to avoid disasters likestampede.

Reacting to the court order, Chief Minister V SAchuthanandan said the proposed judicial probe to be conductedinto the disaster would cover all aspects and the guilty wouldnot be spared.

Meanwhile, the investigation by the crime branch into theincident is progressing and its initial report is expected tobe drawn up in a couple of days revealing the causes thattriggered the worst tragedy that happened in the history ofthe hill shrine.