Ex-DGP questions fireworks culture after Thrissur tragedy, calls for urgent rethink

Thiruvananthapuram, April 22 (IANS) In a sharp and emotionally-charged response to the Thrissur fireworks tragedy, Kerala’s first woman Director General of Police-turned-politician has raised serious questions about safety lapses, administrative accountability, and the very relevance of fireworks-based festivities.

Reacting through a social media post, the former police chief, who joined the BJP last year and currently serves as a councilor in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation after winning the December local body polls,expressed anguish over the loss of 13 lives in the blaze at a fireworks unit.

She had also contested as a BJP candidate from the Vattiyoorkavu constituency in the April 9 Assembly elections.

“Thirteen people have died in a fireworks unit fire in Thrissur. What a tragedy, lives lost in vain,” she wrote, questioning whether the police and Fire & Rescue Services were aware of such a unit operating in the area and whether adequate safety measures had been enforced.

She further asked how many such fireworks manufacturing units continue to function in Thrissur and how many of them adhere to safety norms.

“Who has the time to check all this? Aren’t officials busy playing politics?” she remarked, also raising concerns about the accessibility and responsiveness of senior police officials during emergencies.

Beyond administrative lapses, her remarks took a broader turn, questioning the need for firework displays in temple festivals.

She criticised practices that, in her view, endanger human lives and subject animals like elephants to extreme distress as they have to stand still in the heat and noise for hours.

“Why do we need such festivals that play with fire and put lives at risk? Why should elephants be paraded and tormented?” she asked.

Calling for introspection, she urged society to reconsider such traditions in the digital age.

Emphasising that temple rituals, worship, and devotion should remain central, she suggested that hazardous elements like fireworks be reconsidered in the interest of human, animal, and environmental well-being.

Her comments add to the growing debate in Kerala over safety and sustainability in festival practices following the devastating incident and the need to end the use of elephants in the festivals due to concerns over their well-being.

–IANS

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