Volunteer dies amid flood mock drill in Kerala, government orders probe

The Kerala government has ordered a probe into the mishap during the mock drill organised by the Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to test flood preparedness in Pathanamthitta district where Binu Soman, a 34-year-old man, died by drowning on Thursday, December 29. Binu was one of the four volunteers who took part in the drill designed to create awareness of flood situations. The officers pulled him out of the river and rushed him to a private medical college in Thiruvalla, but his life could not be saved.

There were several allegations regarding the death of Binu – that he died due to negligence from NDMA and other officials who were present at the spot. Chief Minister (CM) Pinarayi Vijayan directed Chief Secretary VP Joy to conduct a departmental enquiry into the incident that occurred during the mock drill organised by the NDMA with the help from fire and rescue officials at Manimala river near Keezhvaipur in Pathanamthitta. As instructed by the CM, the district Collector of Pathanamthitta had earlier submitted a preliminary investigation report of the incident.

The residents of the locality alleged that the rescue was delayed and there was no coordination between the departments during the mock drill. Eyewitnesses told the media that initially, the officials had no clue that Binu had drowned. There are also several allegations that apart from failure in following safety protocols, the officials tried to hide the death. An eyewitness alleged that Binu was on ventilator support at the hospital even after he had passed away.

Earlier in the day, the Kerala State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) registered a case regarding the tragic death and sought a report from the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and the District Collector on the incident. The case was registered based on a complaint lodged by a human rights activist who alleged that if the rescue personnel had arrived on time, the life of the deceased could have been saved. The mock drill, without taking any precaution, was a gross violation of human rights and action should be taken against the officials who were responsible for the death of the man, he mentions in the complaint.

V K Beena Kumari, a member of KSHRC, directed the head of the SDMA and the Pathanamthitta District Collector to submit an explanation report within the next 15 days after examining the circumstances that led to the tragedy, an official statement said. The Commission would take further action after receiving the report, it added. Mock drills were held at various places in Pathanamthitta district on Thursday as part of assessing the disaster management team's preparedness to deal with floods and landslides.