Kerala temple fire- Some say ban was lifted through mutual agreement, officials rubbish claim

Bengaluru, April 11: A debate on whether permission to carry out a firecracker display at the Puttingal temple in Kerala has begun.

While officials have maintained that there was no permission to undertake a firecracker display, others say that the ban was lifted late in the night.

P Prakash, the Kollam Police Commissioner informed OneIndia that there was no permission to undertake a fireworks display. The same point was reiterated by Shainamol A, the district collector of Kollam.

Was there permission?

While officials have maintained that no permission had been granted, some of the residents have said that the ban was lifted in the night.

However, the residents that we spoke with do not spell out clearly if there was an official order- verbal or written, stating that the fireworks display could be held.

The fireworks display is a major attraction at the temple. On the fateful day there were nearly 15,000 devotees at the temple.

The fireworks display is conducted on the last day of the 7 day festival and has been a major attraction.

However this year, there was a complaint lodged by one Pankajakshi following which the ban was imposed.

The residents say that the ban had been lifted following a mutual agreement between the temple authorities and the officials. However officials have denied this point blank.