As more details of the tragedy that unfolded at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) emerge, witnesses say that no police officers or security personnel were present at the site of the stampede. While there are varying accounts about why there was no presence of the police, it has been learned that the University Registrar’s office did not submit an application requesting the same to the police. Meanwhile, the School of Engineering (SOE) Principal Dr Dipak Kumar Sahoo said that his office had written to the Registrar requesting security personnel at the concert held at the University’s main auditorium on Saturday, November 25. He also said that he had personally contacted the Registrar with a request to inform the police of the event that was known to draw large crowds. Four people, including three students, died in the stampede.
A member of the office staff at the University’s School of Engineering told TNM that they had directly mailed the Registrar ahead of the event with a request for security personnel at the event.
They had asked the University administration to inform the police. However, on November 25, as the tragedy unfolded, there was no police presence near the auditorium. While the university says a verbal communication was made to the police, the police insist that a written request was not submitted, which is a norm in such cases.
A staff member at the school of engineering said that besides sending an email, they had also sent a hard copy of the request to the Registrar’s office. “The request was made both on Friday and Saturday,” the staff member said. They added that they are unaware if the Registrar's office had acknowledged receipt of the email or promised to provide security personnel for the event.
“When any event that attracts a crowd is held at the University auditorium, it is common for the entrance to be manned by security personnel. But nobody was present when the stampede took place on Saturday,” the staff member added.
Students who were outside the venue when the stampede took place said that the police did not arrive on the scene until a while later. “A few days ago, some issue had occurred at one of the men’s hostels on campus. After that, a police bus and officers were here on campus. Yet, when the incident took place, there was no one there,” an SOE student said.
Kochi City Commissioner A Akbar told the media that the police had not received a formal, written request for police presence at the event. “Usually when the police’s manpower is required at college events, the administration intimates the police of the same. In this case, such a requisition has not been received,” he told Manorama News.
CUSAT Vice Chancellor Dr Sankaran had earlier said that a verbal communication had been made to the police regarding the event.
Regarding the email communication sent to the Registrar, SOE Principal Dr Dipak Kumar Sahoo said, “I didn’t get a reply, and I didn’t expect one either.” When asked if that was the standard practice, he said, “Normally they take action, that's all. But yesterday, I reminded them also, asking them to ensure that things are done. I saw the police and security personnel there, so I thought they might have been informed. I cannot scrutinise the Registrar’s work, they are our higher authority.”
“Around 3 pm on Saturday evening, I personally called the Registrar to remind him of the event and request the presence of police,” he said. According to the Principal, it was not a crowd regulation issue that he had expected to be addressed with the presence of police. “I anticipated violence. Here, party politics and resultant violence is common,” Dilipkumar said.
When asked who was manning the gates to the auditorium, the Principal said that it was the student volunteers. “Students were managing the gate, security personnel were also present. An event of such scale requires a large number of volunteers as there will not be so many security personnel,” he said.
“The campus is open to the public. Who can prevent them from standing there or pushing others?” Dilipkumar said. However, to the question whether that did not demand the presence of adequate police personnel, the Principal said, “Students did an exemplary job in handling the situation. Please don't ask my opinion on what could have happened or what could have been done.”