Kasaragod: A 19-year-old youth, who had been undergoing treatment following a firecracker explosion at the Anjootambalam Temple in Kasaragod, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday night, bringing the death toll in the incident to four.
The deceased, identified as Shibin Raj, is the latest victim of the tragic accident. The other victims include K Biju of Karinthalam Manjalamkattu, and Ratheesh and Sandeep, both from Kinavoor, Choyamkode. Ratheesh, Biju and Sandeep were friends.
Ratheesh and Biju were undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Kozhikode. Ratheesh, an employee at the FCI godown in Neeleswaram, previously ran a barbershop in Kayyur. He was unmarried. He is survived by his mother, Janaki, and sisters, Kanchana and Ragini.
Biju, who worked as a van driver, was formerly a bus conductor. He is survived by his wife, Manju, and two children, Adishankar and Advaith. Shibinraj is the son of Pushparaj and Sheeba. He has a sister Shibina.
According to the Kasaragod district administration, 154 people were injured in the explosion, with 100 of them admitted to various hospitals. The incident took place late on the night of October 28 at the Veererkavu Anjootambalam Temple near Neeleswaram when firecrackers stored in the vicinity exploded.
On October 29, three individuals, including two temple committee officials, were arrested in connection with the incident. They face charges under the Explosive Substances Act and various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The District Sessions Court in Kasaragod has stayed the bail granted to these three accused.
The accused include temple committee president P K Chandrasekharan, secretary K T Bharatan, and P Rajesh, who is alleged to have ignited the firecrackers that led to the explosion.
Kasaragod District Police Chief D. Shilpa has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to lead the probe. Additionally, the district administration has directed the additional divisional magistrate to conduct an independent inquiry. At the same time, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission took suo motu cognizance of the incident and requested detailed reports from both the district collector and police chief.
