The first sight at the government hospital in Kumily was of a pile of coffins. We immediately knew that we were at the beginning of a journey, memories of which would remain with us for a long time.
On Friday, 102 devotees lost their life in Pulmedu, one of the hills near Sabarimala. On Saturday, along with my photographer, I was at the theatre of horror.
The first sight at the government hospital in Kumily was of a pile of coffins. We immediately knew that we were at the beginning of a journey, memories of which would remain with us for a long time.
During one of our pit stops, we met a group of devotees which was returning home. As we started talking, a devotee said, “Sir, we lost one of our group members in the stampede.”
These men gave us an idea as to what happened there, but once we began our reporting, what we imagined stood no chance in front of what we saw. After sending some photographs for the edition, we called it a day around 1.30 am. The plan for the next day was to visit the accident site and the related areas for follow-up.
On Sunday, when I got up around 7 am, one of the local channels flashed the news that Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was visiting the spot. My first reaction was “Oh, he is also coming.” Soon, the reporter in me woke from sleep, and the reaction changed to “Oh my god, Rahul Gandhi” (pun intended). Within 20 minutes, we were ready to be on the move.
While my colleague decided to stay back at the helipad, I made my way to the hospital, which Gandhi was supposed to visit. At the hospital, a media friend said, “He is not coming and congratulations on being a bakra.”
While going towards the accident site, a local photographer was kind enough to take us around on top of the hill. He also told us how the incident happened and why people love to come here and most importantly, the technicality behind the appearance of the makara jyothi. By the time we finished our work, one thing was clear in our minds, that we will not forget the incident, even in our sleep.
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