The Mahamakham tragedy of February 1992 in Kumbakonam, wherein 48 persons died in a stampede and over 60 sustained injuries, continues to linger in the memory of many. Two years ago, Congress Legislature Party leader K. Selvaperunthagai made certain observations in the Assembly on the 1992 Mahamakham, in which Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and her aide V.K. Sasikala participated.
Recently, former Tamil Nadu Director-General of Police W.I. Davaram, in his memoir, Munnar to Marina: The Journey, gave his account of the sequence of events. In 1992, he was the Inspector-General of Police (Law and Order), handling the arrangements for the festival. Besides, four DIGs and 16 Superintendents of Police were part of the team that supervised the arrangements, with the help of about 12,000 police personnel and support forces from Home Guards, Fire and Rescue Services, and voluntary organisations.
