Kerala HC pulls up state govt over Sabarimala stampede

Expressing displeasure over neglect of warnings by it on the safety of Sabarimala pilgrims, Kerala High Court on Monday asked the state government to file a detailed report on the stampede that claimed 102 lives.
The division bench of the High Court comprising Justice Thottathil Radhakrishnand and Justice P S Gopinathan, monitoring the affairs of Sabarimala pilgrimage, directed Police, Forest Departments and the Travancore Deveswom Board to furnish reports on the reasons that led to the disaster by January 20.
The judges recalled that they had given a warning to the authorities on January 5 about the need to regulate the flow of pilgrims to avoid disasters like stampede.
The court also observed that there had been lack of co-ordination among various departments involved in conduct of the festival at Sabarimala, which attracts millions of pilgrims during the two-month long season from mid-Novrmber.