Thanjavur : Kumbakonam school tragedy: 10 held guilty for fire that killed 94 children

PTI

Thanjavur, Jul 30, 2014 : A local court in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur held 10 people guilty in the 2004 Kumbakonam school fire accident case. The court acquitted 11 people.

 

94 children were charred to death on July 14, 2004 in Kumbakonam, when a fire sparked from the make-shift noon meal kitchen spread to the thatched hut in the first floor.

 

At the time of the incident, over 200 children were in the thatched roof class room.

 

The narrow building on Kasiraman Street, which housed three schools together - Sri Krishna Aided Private School, Saraswathi Nursery and Primary School and Sri Krishna Girls High School - with the students’ strength exceeding 700 -- did not have necessary fire safety equipment.

 

 

The 21 accused included the school correspondent, his wife, their adopted daughter, the then Kumbakonam municipal commissioner and a town planning officer, besides some education department officials in the case. The trial commenced on September 24, 2012.

 

The prosecution had contented that the first three accused had not followed the rules and regulations of the education department, while the municipal commissioner and town planning officer failed in their duty to inspect the noon meal shed, which led to the spark and spread of the fire. Principal district and sessions judge Mohamed Ali delivered the final judgment in the case.

 

21 people were named in the chargesheet filed by the prosecution.

 

Though there were 24 accused initially, the state government had withdrawn the charges against three of them.

 

The final arguments in the case concluded at the district and sessions court here on July 17.

 

Of the total of 501 witnesses, 230 were examined during the trial, which included survivors (children) and parents of the 94 children, who lost their lives.