Kochi: The accused list in the CUSAT stampede incident, resulting in the tragic death of four students, now includes the Principal and two teachers. School of Engineering Principal, Deepak Kumar Sahu, has been named as the first accused. Girish Kumaran Thampi and Vijay, who were in charge of the tech fest, are also named as accused in the case.

The accused have been slapped with charges under Section 304A for causing death by negligence. Severe lapses on the side of the university officials were revealed in a detailed investigation into the incident. A report regarding the proceedings so far has been submitted at the magistrate court.

It was found that guidelines issued by the higher education department were not followed while organising the programme at the university.  As per rules, the campus was not supposed to host a programme involving artists from outside college. A high court ruling also prohibits donation drives in colleges for conducting such programs.

There were no barricades placed at the venue. It was a clear case of lack of foresightedness. Hence those involved were slapped with charges of causing death by negligence.