KOCHI: Police in the High Court said that the cause of the Cusat disaster was that more people were in the auditorium than it could accommodate. Four thousand people came in the auditorium that could accommodate only thousand people. People came from outside the campus to participate in the concert. The organizers could not foresee the number of people participating.

According to the investigation report filed by the Thrikkakara Assistant Commissioner in the court, the defect in the construction of the stairs to the auditorium was also the cause of the accident. The report also criticizes the fact that more staff were not assigned to control the crowd. The police submitted the report on a petition filed by KSU seeking a judicial inquiry into the Cusat tragedy. The petition will be considered again on January 18. There are 80 security personnel in Cusat.

The petition was filed by KSU state president Aloysius Xavier. The petitioner alleges that the tragedy was caused by the registrar ignoring a letter sent by the principal of the School of Engineering seeking security for the programme. According to the petition, the registrar ignored the guidelines of the High Court regarding the celebrations in the universities. Those who came to participate in the music night organized in the amphitheater inside the campus as part of the tech fest organized by Cusat School of Engineering students were among the victims. The cause of the accident was that people standing on the road tried to push their way into the amphitheater, which was full of students, when it rained, and there is only one gate to get in and out of the theatre. Those standing on the steps beyond the gate were falling down in the stampede, and more people were falling above them.

Four people died of being kicked and suffocated. Second year civil engineering students Athul Thampi from Koothattukulam, Anne Rufta from North Paravur, Sarah Thomas from Tamarassery and Albin Joseph from Palakkad Mundur, who is not a student of CUSAT, died in the accident.