Kasaragod: The Kerala State Human Rights Commission on Wednesday took a suo motu cognizance of the recent firecracker explosion at the Anjootambalam temple in Kasaragod. The accident, which happened during a Theyyam festival, had left 154 injured, with at least 10 in critical condition.

An official statement said the panel’s judicial member, K Byjunath, has directed the Kasaragod district collector and police chief to submit a report on the incident within 15 days. The report will be reviewed during the Commission’s next sitting at the Kasaragod government guest house. The case was registered based on multiple media reports.

On Monday night, firecrackers worth Rs 24,000, stored for a Theyyam festival at the Anjootambalam Veererkavu temple in Nileshwar, exploded. Eight of the injured sustained burns covering over 80 percent of their bodies.

Kasaragod District Police Chief D Shilpa has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the accident. The district administration has also directed the additional divisional magistrate to conduct an independent inquiry.

According to Kasaragod Collector Inbasekar K, a preliminary investigation revealed that the detonation area and the storage room were separated by only two to three feet, far short of the required 100-metre minimum distance between storage and ignition points.