The Kerala State Sports Council and the General Education Department are trading blame following a structural failure at the Thrissur Aquatic Complex indoor swimming pool on Thursday, where a falling tin sheet injured five athletes during the State School Games. The injured students have been identified as Sreehari, Rishikesh, Devika, Priya, and Abhinav.

Rishikesh’s father, Saji, a native of Vallam in Thiruvananthapuram, said that his son sustained an injury to his backbone when sudden rain and strong winds dislodged the overhead tin roofing onto the crowd. "Rishikesh fell on the ground in impact, and people accidentally stamped his back, causing injury to his backbone," Saji said.

Parents travelling from across Kerala expressed severe disappointment over the management of the event and demanded a full reimbursement of their travel and lodging expenses. "As of now, the authorities have covered the treatment costs for all the injured students who sought treatment. They have also notified us that a new date and venue will be set for the conduct of the event," Saji told Onmanorama.

Meanwhile, C Sumesh, District President of the Kerala State Sports Council, told Onmanorama that the council was only responsible for providing the venue and that the Education Department conducted the event.

"Grievous lapses can be identified in the conduct of the event," Sumesh said. "First of all, the Education Department did not form any organising committee to discuss the smooth conduct of the event as per norms. Second, they did not seek our permission to set up temporary tin sheets. Third, when the initial lightning struck, the safety officers from the sports council asked for the swimming relay event to be stopped, but they did not, and the sheets fell, injuring students an hour later. This could have been avoided if they had listened to the safety officers."

Disputing the Sports Council's account, an official from the Education Department coordinating the event asserted that organisers acted promptly when the weather deteriorated.

"The relay event was supposed to end at 7.00 pm but ran a little late, until 7.10 pm. When it started lightning, the sports organisers stopped the game. Half of the occupants inside the venue had already been shifted when the weather worsened to rain and heavy winds, causing the sheets to fall," the official said. "The department has decided to shift the event to a later date," he added.

The incident sparked immediate political fallout on Friday afternoon, with the BJP City District Committee and the Students' Federation of India (SFI) staging separate protest marches outside the complex, flagging the alleged lapses in the conduct of the event.

Demonstrators alleged that the State School Games were conducted without basic preparation or amenities for the more than 500 participating athletes.

"When a major sports event is held, an organising committee is usually formed with the participation of political and social representatives," said Aneesh Kumar, BJP State Vice President. "However, this time the event was organised without even informing the ward member." Kumar further criticised Sports Minister O J Janeesh, alleging a complete breakdown in oversight by the ministry during a flagship event held in the minister’s home district.