The Kochi city police have registered a case against the organisers of ‘Mridanga Naadam’ for alleged safety violations after Congress MLA Uma Thomas suffered serious injuries from a 15-foot fall at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium. The event drew criticism for continuing despite the accident on Sunday evening.
According to the latest medical bulletin from Renai Medicity Hospital, while Uma Thomas’s CT scan shows no serious head injury, she continues to face complications. “While internal bleeding has not worsened, lung bruising has slightly increased. An abdominal scan showed no further complications,” the hospital stated. Due to severe lung injury, she will remain on ventilator support for several days.
The Palarivattom police have registered an FIR against both the event organisers and a Kochi-based event management firm. Kochi City Police Commissioner Putta Vimaladitya has personally inspected the accident site, and a detailed investigation is underway.
The incident occurred during a record-breaking event where 12,000 dancers, led by actor Divyaa Unni, set a new Guinness World Record for the largest Bharatanatyam performance in India, surpassing the previous record of 10,500 dancers. The eight-minute performance featured renowned artists including Devi Chandana, Uthara Unni, Vidya Unni, Rithu Manthra, and Paris Laxmi.
The choreography was set to lyrics by Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri, with music by Deepankuran and vocals by Anoop Shankar.
The event drew international participation, with dancers from Kerala, other Indian states, and countries including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Arab nations. The participants had undergone six months of training under 550 instructors to achieve this milestone.
