Uma Thomas stadium fall: Kerala Police chargesheet event organisers, stage contractor

The Palarivattom police which probed the incident in which Thrikkakara MLA Uma Thomas was severely injured after she fell down from a gallery at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi, Kerala, last December have filed the chargesheet in the case.

The chargesheet has named Nigosh Kumar, owner of Mridhanga Vision, Shameer, CEO of the firm; Jineesh P.S. and Krishnakumar M.D., owners of Oscar Events, and stage contractor Benny as accused in the case. Mridhanga Vision and Oscar events were the organisers of the dance event during which the MLA fell from a temporary gallery.

The chargesheet was filed before the Ernakulam Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-IX on August 27, 2025, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated in the Kerala Assembly in response to a question by Uma Thomas recently.

According to the Chief Minister’s reply, the accused have been charged with attempt to commit culpable homicide under Section 110 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The Congress MLA had suffered severe head and spinal injuries after falling from a 15-foot-high gallery at the stadium on December 29, 2024. Uma Thomas was hospitalised for 46 days following the accident.

Negligence clear: police

A police officer who was part of the investigation team said the alleged negligence on the part of the event organisers became clear during the probe.

“Though the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) which manages the stadium had given permission to conduct the programme, the organisers built the temporary gallery for VIPs without following the necessary safety parameters, leading to the accident,” the officer told The Hindu.

The investigation was conducted with the assistance of PWD structural engineers, the police said.

The event, promoted by an actor-dancer, was organised with the aim of entering the Guinness Book of Records with the participation of 12,000 dancers.