Protests erupt after godown slab collapse kills four in Kozhikode

Protests in Kozhikode arise after a godown slab collapse kills four workers, igniting demands for accountability and compensation.

Massive protests erupted on Monday (February 23) following the death of four headload workers after the concrete slab of an old godown collapsed at Valiyangadi. The protests were mainly held under the aegis of the BJP and the Youth Congress.

BJP workers, led by district secretary Subhash Babu, took out a protest march from Valiyangadi to the Corporation office. When the police stopped the protesters in front of the Corporation office, the latter jumped over the wall and later entered the Mayor’s chamber.

The Youth Congress Kozhikode district committee workers laid siege to the office of the secretary of the Corporation. The protest was led by district president R. Shahin. The police later arrived at the scene and arrested the activists.

Meanwhile, M.K. Raghavan, MP, demanded that a case of culpable homicide be registered against the Corporation authorities. The civic body, he alleged, had been gambling with people’s lives by failing to either repair and strengthen the nearly 60-year-old building or safely demolish it. Mr. Raghavan said several similar buildings in the city were posing a threat to public safety.

District Congress Committee president K. Praveen Kumar said the Corporation authorities bore full responsibility for the incident. “The four people did not just die. They were killed,” he said, adding that the incident should be investigated under the supervision of a sitting judge.

Mr. Praveen Kumar also sought immediate compensation of ₹25 lakh for the families of the deceased.