A three-member panel appointed by the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) to probe the stampede on the campus last month has fixed the responsibility on the organising committee for its perceived failures.
Four persons, including three students of the School of Engineering (SoE), were killed and 60 others were injured in the stampede in the rush to get into the open-air auditorium on the campus just ahead of a concert by playback singer Nikhita Gandhi on November 25. The event was organised by the SoE on the second day of Dhishna 2023, the three-day tech fest.
A meeting of the Syndicate held on Wednesday accepted the report submitted by the panel. The panel report found fault with the organising committee of the tech fest comprising students and selected faculty members drawn from various departments of the SoE for its alleged failure in make proper arrangements, including for crowd control measures, along the entrance that led to chaos in the last minute. The arrangements were found to be not in tune with the big ticket event it was supposed to be.
