Four accused in the case registered by the Hill Palace police in connection with the blast at an illegal firecracker storage unit at Choorakkadu in Thripunithura surrendered before the police on Friday more than a fortnight after they had gone into hiding.
Sajeev Kumar, 49, Rajesh, 50, and Satyan K.K., 67, of Thripunithura were the first three accused in the case. The other accused who surrendered was Rajeev P.T., 47, also from Thripunithura. The first two accused were office-bearers of both Puthiyakavu Devaswom and Vadakkumpuram Karayogam, while the latter two were office-bearers of Vadakkumpuram Karayogam alone, the police said. The arrest of the accused was recorded, and they were produced in court.
The police had registered a first information report under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 34 (common intention), 427 (causing damage), and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others). Besides, relevant sections of the Explosives Substances Act were also invoked.
Three persons were killed and 25 injured in the blast that also left over 300 houses in the neighbourhood damaged on the morning of February 12. The firecrackers were being shifted from a vehicle to the temporary storage unit ahead of the fireworks display of Vadakkumpuram Karayogam scheduled for the same evening at the Puthiyakavu Devi Temple when the blast occured.
It was found that the Karayogam had not secured permission from the district administration and the police for the transportation and storage of firecrackers, while the Puthiyakavu Devaswom had not secured permission for the fireworks display.
On February 11, the Hill Palace police had registered another case over the fireworks display at the temple by the Thekkumbagham Karayogam, which again was also held without official permission.
Since then, the police had made multiple arrests in both the cases.
