Vedan concert at Bekal: Police deny injury claims, urge calm

Kasaragod: Amid widespread reports of injuries and an “accident” at the Bekal Beach Fest during rapper Vedan’s concert on Monday night (December 29), Kasaragod District Police Chief B V Vijaya Bharat Reddy clarified that no serious incident occurred at the venue.

He said six people were taken to the hospital after experiencing breathing difficulties due to crowd pressure and were discharged after receiving first aid. “No one suffered any injury,” he said, urging the public and media outlets not to spread panic through exaggerated reports.

The clarification came even as the concert witnessed heavy crowding. Vedan was scheduled to reach the venue at 8 pm, but arrived only at 9.40 pm. While some media reports claimed that the police called off the concert after 30 minutes, Vedan performed for nearly an hour, ending his set around 10.40 pm.

The venue was packed with an expectant crowd. In front of the stage, a fan pit was created for standing audiences, alongside a separate seated enclosure with tickets priced at Rs 5,000. Beyond these sections lay a vast, beach-side landscaped park -- an open space rather than a closed or cramped enclosure.

As the concert progressed, some people attempted to push into the fan pit and the seated area, causing a few women and children to stumble. Some attendees experienced breathing difficulties amid the surge, said police.

Officials said around 25,000 people entered the venue, though many had not purchased tickets. One side of the stage opened directly onto the beach, offering ample space.

Shijin Parambath, Managing Director of the Bekal Resorts Development Corporation (BRDC), which organises the annual beach festival, said the crowd was largely manageable and that trouble arose only when people rushed towards the fan pit, as the stage extended into the crowd. The area was barricaded, and officials felt that attempting to evacuate people from the confined space at that point could have worsened the situation, he said. Police officers and civil volunteers instead entered the area and stabilised the crowd. Those who reported breathlessness were taken to the hospital in the waiting ambulances, he said.

Fan fatally knocked down by train

In a related incident, a 19-year-old engineering student, M Shivanandan of Poinachi, was fatally knocked down by a train while coming to attend the concert.

The Tirunelveli Junction-Jamnagar Ten Jam Express hit him around 9.30 pm. The railway track and Bekal railway station are located outside the beach park, more than 500 metres from the stage. Police said the accident occurred before Vedan arrived at the venue.

Shivanandan and his friend, K Ajesh (20), were walking towards the beach when the accident occurred. After Kannur, the train’s next halt is Kasaragod, about 15 minutes from Bekal. Shivanandan was the only son of Venu Gopalan Nair and Smitha of Paramba, Poinachi.

The incident comes less than a month after a concert by Malayalam playback singer and vlogger Hanan Shah in Kasaragod town triggered a stampede-like situation, leaving around 30 people injured and hospitalised. The police were forced to call off that programme and later booked five members of the organising committee over alleged lapses.

Unlike the open beach setting at Bekal, the Hanan Shah event was held at a ground near the new bus stand in Kasaragod, which had a capacity of around 3,000 people. Police said the organisers had sold nearly 10,000 tickets.