Kollam temple fire: Officials who denied permit were harassed for 'communal' motive

Safety not first

While the hundreds injured continue to battle for their lives in hospitals, the man-made disaster has not just turned election-flavoured political, but also troublingly communal.

As if the completely overlooked ban order was not enough, the officials instrumental in establishing it -- Additional District Magistrate A Shanavas and District Collector A Shainamol -- were, according to IE sources, 'bullied and threatened by local politicians and Hindu groups'. As Muslims, they were accused of harbouring communal motives.

ADM A Shanavas had banned the show based on evidence that it was not just a fireworks display, but a competition between two groups. This was in direct contradiction to the application from the Puttingal Dewaswam Managing Committee, which had stated that the fireworks were displayed by a single party.

“Once the order was issued, it was vetted by Collector Shainamol, so the pressure started mounting on her. A senior minister called her to demand a change in her stand and asked whether she really wanted to upset religious sentiments of a section to which she does not belong,” a senior officer at Kollam District Collectorate told IE.

The minister allegedly in question, Labour Minister Shibu Baby John, admitted to having called her, but denied pressurising her. Shainamol too refused to confirm these allegations, saying, "I don’t want to reveal anything about this issue."