Murder charges to be slapped against accused in temple tragedy

Murder charges would be slapped against the accused in the case related to Puttingal temple firework tragedy that claimed 109 lives, police said.

Crime Branch police, probing the case, informed a lower court hearing the case at Paravoor in the district that as per the advice of Law Department, murder charges would be framed against the accused.

There are 26 accused, including 15 temple managing committee members and workers of the contractors of the firework display held on April 10.

However, crime branch said it was yet to take a decision on against whom the murder charges should be framed. Currently the accused were charged under section 304 of IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

More than 350 people injured in the fire which occurred when a firework misfired and caused explosion of stored high-decibel crackers during the temple festival.