Case against 6 as gallery collapse at football final injures 55 in Kothamangalam

Pothanikad police have registered a case against six organisers of a local football tournament after a temporary gallery collapsed during the final match on Sunday night, injuring at least 55 spectators.

The accused — Shemeer KM, Shemmer MP, Vishnu PR, Ameer KM, Muhammed Sha KP, and Asharaf CP — are members of the Hero Youngs Club and Reading Room, Adivadu. They have been booked under Sections 125(a) (endangering life or personal safety and causing hurt) and 125(b) (causing grievous hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the FIR, the incident happened at 10.05 pm on the grounds of Malik Deenar Public School in Adivadu, Pallarimangalam. The police said that the organisers had failed to ensure essential safety protocols and had overcrowded the makeshift gallery, exceeding its capacity.

Of the injured, 21 were hospitalised. Fifteen were admitted to Mar Baselios Medical Mission Hospital in Kothamangalam, five to Dharmagiri Hospital, and one person with a spinal injury was shifted to Rajagiri Hospital in Kochi. One of the injured, Shemeer, suffered a leg fracture and is under treatment at MBBM Hospital.

The tournament — MK Maitheen Memorial Hero Youngs Mini All India Sevens 2025 — has been a regular event for over 15 years, organised annually by Hero Youngs Club to raise funds for various charitable causes.

The gallery collapse happened just as volunteers were entering the ground with the trophy in a celebratory procession. Around 2,000 people had gathered to witness the final. The temporary pavilion, constructed using iron pipes and areca nut tree wood, gave way under the pressure of the crowd and tilted backwards before collapsing. A probe is underway into the incident.