After the Kozhikode, Kerala police shut down a concert held at the city's beach on Sunday night following overcrowding at the venue and disturbance created by those who could not be accommodated, one person has been arrested and a case was lodged against 50 persons.
As many as 20 people sustained injuries when a barricade collapsed during the concert as a result of overcrowding. The injured were taken to Kozhikode Government General Hospital. No one sustained grave injuries in the incident which took place around 7.30 p.m.
Police sources said it was an unexpected turnout that led to the accident. Though the organizers expected only a small crowd, the weekend rush turned out to be a challenge, they said.
Police added that those who could not be accommodated at the venue created a disturbance.
As a result, police were forced to stop the programme which in turn resulted in six policemen and more than 30 members of the general public being injured after a section of the crowd threw stones and beer bottles at them.
The officer said that a case for assaulting police personnel and preventing them from doing their duty has been registered against 50 persons and one of them has also been arrested.
Besides that, a case has also been registered against the event organizers -- JDT College Palliative Care here -- for conducting the event without adequate facilities and not in accordance with the permission granted to them, he said.
The officer said the college was only permitted to erect stalls and showcase some small cultural shows by students at the beach as part of their charity event to generate funds to buy wheelchairs.
However, they decided to hold a concert and advertised the same via social media platforms and also sold tickets online for ₹ 150 per person, police said.
As it was a Sunday, a huge crowd turned up at the venue and many also bought tickets online. But all of them could not be accommodated and after some time the sale of tickets at the venue also had to be stopped, leading to the disturbance, police said.