KSU President moves Kerala High Court seeking judicial probe into CUSAT stampede

A petition has been filed before the Kerala High Court seeking a judicial inquiry into a recent stampede that occurred at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) which killed 4 students and injured 64 others [Alochious Xavier, President of the Kerala Student Union (KSU) v State of Kerala & Ors.]..The plea was filed by Alochious Xavier, President of the Kerala Student Union (KSU), the student wing of Congress Party in the State. The incident in question occurred on November 25 during a tech fest named 'DHISHNA' that was held at the university. .Xavier claimed that he visited the scene of the occurrence and gathered first-hand information from the students about what went down on the fateful day. He alleged that the whole mishap happened due to the inaction of university authorities including the vice chancellor, registrar and principal of CUSAT..The stampede occurred at the amphitheater in the campus, revealing lapses in crowd management and safety measures, Xavier argued. The petition criticized the single entry and exit point and accused CUSAT’s Registrar of neglecting security requests as well as the inadequate monitoring of the amphitheater's designated space..It was submitted that even though the State Police lodged a first information report (FIR), the investigation is biased due to the political influences of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) led Left Democratic Front (LDF) Coalition, as their nominees are the office bearers of both Syndicate and Senate of the University.In this regard, the plea highlighted the failure to record statements from key respondents and emphasized the need for a detailed investigation..Xavier claimed to have submitted a representation to the vice chancellor of CUSAT requesting him to prepare and submit a report to the State government or the State Legislature for the constitution of an independent judicial commission. However, he did not receive any response..This prompted him to approach the High Court with the present plea seeking a direction to the appropriate authorities to take necessary steps so that an impartial judicial commission can be appointed if necessary. .The petition was filed by advocates Rebin Vincent Gralan, Dinesh G Warrior and Vimal Vijay.