The Syndicate of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) has removed Dr Dipak Kumar Sahoo from the post of principal of the School of Engineering (SOE). The decision was taken at a Syndicate meeting convened by Vice Chancellor PG Sankaran on Monday, November 27, in the aftermath of the stampede that took four lives at an event organised by SOE.
A press release by the Syndicate said, “Dr Dipak Kumar Sahoo, who was also the chairman of the organising committee of Dhishna 2023 (SOE’s annual tech fest), will be removed from the post of SOE principal during the sub-committee's investigation and former principal Dr Shobha Cyrus will replace him.”
The Syndicate has formed a three-member sub-committee to examine what caused the tragedy. Comprising Syndicate members KK Krishnakumar (Convener), Sashigopalan, and VJ Laly, the sub-committee has been “tasked to study the lapses in the organisation of Dhishna 2023 and put forward recommendations to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future”. Krishnakumar and Laly are external members while Sashigopalan is a faculty member at the University. The sub-committee is expected to submit a preliminary report by December 1.
Syndicate member Dr PK Baby told TNM that the principal was asked to step aside only for the period of enquiry. “He was removed not because he was SOE principal, but because he was the organising committee’s chairperson. It is only appropriate that the chairperson be asked to step aside while the enquiry is under way,” he said.
Other decisions made at Monday’s Syndicate meeting include conducting a safety audit of the University campus. The University will “prepare and implement revised guidelines as per government directives and Disaster Management Authority to avoid mob accidents”. The meeting also decided to take steps to “provide insurance cover to the students involved in such accidents”. The treatment expenses of all students injured in the stampede will be taken care of by the University. Mental health assistance will be ensured for all students at the campus from Tuesday onwards.
The unfortunate incident took place on Saturday at the University’s auditorium. The four persons who lost their lives in the stampede include three SOE students. On Sunday, principal Dipak Kumar had told TNM that he had requested the University Registrar to provide security personnel and police at the event both through his office and in his personal capacity. The media had accessed the letter sent to the Registrar on Monday.
Baby said that the Syndicate’s preliminary observations have shown that the tragedy could have been averted if more care had been taken. “For instance, entry to the auditorium could have been regulated by teachers,” he said.
According to eyewitnesses, including SOE staff and students, no police personnel were present at the site at the time of the stampede. While the VC had said that the police had been intimated verbally, City Police Commissioner A Akbar had told the media that the police had not received any formal request from the University authorities, in the absence of which they could not be deployed at the event site.
Read: Did CUSAT not ask for police presence? Questions emerge after tragedy