Kollam: Lashing out at the Police Commissioner, District Collector A. Shainamol said the mishap at the temple was due to the negligence of the police and that it was the duty of the force to implement the ban order.
“It is childish that the Police Commissioner said the temple authorities had misled them. In case of a magisterial order, it is not the duty of the judge to go and implement it, but it’s the duty of the concerned police officers to assure that the order is executed,” she said.
Police Commissioner P. Prakash had earlier claimed that the temple authorities misled him by saying that they had received an oral permission to go ahead with the event.
The district magistrate had ordered not to give permission to conduct competitive display of fireworks at the temple. The police could have prevented the tragedy had they complied with it. The district administration denied permission based on a report filed by the tahsildar that the event would cause danger to human life, Ms. Shainamol said.
