Kollam temple fire: Competition led to tragedy, explosives came via backdoor
Thiruvananthapuram/Kollam: Kerala woke up to the biggest fire tragedy in its history as nearly 106 persons were killed and over 383 injured in an explosion during a fireworks display held as part of the Meenabharani festival of Puttingal Devi Temple at Paravoor in Kollam, about 45 kilometres from Thiruvananthapuram, early on Sunday.
Despite a ban imposed on carrying out the usual competitive fireworks, the Puttingal temple authorities at Paravur allegedly allowed a high-intensity firework almost like a competition. Loads of explosives were being brought to the temple even around 1 am through the rear side of the temple to evade the attention of the authorities.
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Local people suspect that it was indeed a competition of fireworks teams led by Kazhakoottam Surendran and Varkala Krishnana Kutty.
Some police officials who visited the spot also indicated that there were signs of a competition.
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It is suspected that since the storage of large quantity of explosives was not allowed, explosives were being brought in as the existing stocks exhausted.
Fire cracker shells are kept stacked near the spot where a massive fire broke out during a fireworks display at Puttingal temple complex in Paravoor village, Kollam. (Photo: AP)
“We were sitting near the explosives room and on seeing more explosives being taken in, we left the place by around 1 am,” said Kottiyam native Kishore Kumar. Bhootakulam native Premkumar, an autorickshaw driver, also said that explosives were being refilled at the storage room. The temple notice also mentioned that it was a competition and even prize money up to Rs 1 lakh was declared.
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There are two explosives storage rooms on the temple premises, one on the right side and the other on the left. Usually, one storage room would be allowed to one firework team and the other to the competitor. However, this time owing to the ban on the competition, the storage room on the right side was only used for storing the explosives. The mike announcements regarding the competition also did not mention about the competition.
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An unidentified man weeps as bodies of victims lie outside a morgue at the Kollam district hospital. (Photo: PTI)
Politicians insisted on elaborate fireworks
Sources said that following a denial of permission by the district administration, a section of politicians’ had exerted pressure on the administration to allow fireworks. Fingers are also being pointed at former MP Peethambara Kurup and Chathanoor MLA G.S. Jayalal.
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However, the big question is despite specific orders from the Collector, why did the police fail to check the blatant violation. Kollam city police commissioner P. Prakash said, “The temple committee told us orally that they had obtained permission from the administration for fireworks in a traditional manner. However, they didn’t show us a copy of the order. By then the crowds had started gathering in the area in big numbers and we could not have prevented the competitive fireworks at that stage," he said.
However, the festival committee pamphlet clearly mentioned firework competition between Varkala Krishnankutty and Kazhakkoottam Surendran and even announced cash prizes in violation of the ban on competitive fireworks.
Temples nearby too damaged in explosion
Of the victims, two were women. The impact of the explosion was such that a heavy concrete block fell on a person riding a two-wheeler 1 km away from the temple. Apart from the 'padakkapura’ or the explosive store house, a temple committee office, Sree Narayana Guru Mandiaram and the temples of sub-deities were also badly damaged. The glass panes of houses near the temple were broken and houses developed cracks within a 1 km radius of the temple.
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The fireworks started at around 11.30 pm and the tragic explosion took place at 3.15 am. The explosion is said to have occurred after a spark from a fireworks device fell on another inflammable device that was set ready near the explosives storage room, and from it the fire spread to the explosives in the storage room. “It all happened in a fraction of second. A huge fire ball engulfed the entire area amid a deafening sound and concrete blocks rained all over the place,” recollected Subash who was watching the incident from the balcony of his house in the vicinity of the temple.
