Football tournament organisers booked after gallery collapsed, leaving 55 injured

Kochi | A case has been registered against the organising committee of a football tournament following the accident in which a gallery collapsed near Kothamangalam, here, police said on Monday.

The Pothanikad police registered the case against six persons under sections 125 (a) and 125 (b) (endangering life or personal safety of others) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) after inspecting the accident site, police officers said.

The collapse happened at the Malik Dinar Public School ground, where the final of the tournament organised by the local club 'Hero Youngs Club and Reading Room, Adivadu' was set to take place.

The six persons, who are functionaries of Hero Youngs Club and Reading Room permitted more spectators without providing adequate safety measures into the temporary gallery set up at the ground, according to the FIR.

Preliminary inquiry suggests that the gallery, constructed using bamboo poles, gave way after its supports sank into the rain-soaked ground, a police officer said.

Of the 55 injured, four remain under treatment at various private hospitals in Thodupuzha and Kothamangalam.

Thousands of spectators had gathered to watch the match, as the tournament had been going on for the past two weeks.

The gallery collapse took place just minutes before kickoff, during a pre-match parade where organisers were displaying the winners' trophy inside the ground by 10.05 pm on Sunday.

According to police sources, the functionaries of the club stated that emergency rescue operations were launched immediately after the incident and that none of the injuries were critical.

They also claimed all necessary permissions had been obtained prior to the event, they added.

However, the police said an inquiry is underway.