Bengaluru stampede: Police had warned Karnataka govt before RCB victory event, says report

Days after a deadly stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives during celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) maiden IPL win, it has come to light that senior police officers had warned the Karnataka government about the risks of holding a felicitation event at the Vidhana Soudha. Bengaluru stampede: This photograph shows thousands of fans gathering outside Vidhana Soudha to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning the Indian Premier League (IPL), in Bengaluru on June 4(AFP)

A letter written on the day of the tragedy by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) MN Karibasavana Gowda on June 4, and accessed by TOI, had cautioned top bureaucrats about possible overcrowding and lack of security during RCB felicitation at Vidhana Soudha.

Gowda had also emphasised that the area lacked proper CCTV coverage and was a sensitive government zone.

What the letter said

Gowda, who was in charge of legislature security, wrote to the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) secretary G Sathyavathi, warning that “lakhs of cricket fans are likely to come to Vidhana Soudha,” and pointed out that a shortage of security personnel would make crowd control difficult.

“Lakhs of cricket fans are likely to come to Vidhana Soudha. Since there is a shortage of security personnel, making bandobast will be a problem,” Gowda's letter, quoted by TOI, said.

A few hours before the crowd surge, senior IAS officer G Sathyavathi, who was in charge of managing the event at the Vidhana Soudha steps, publicly asked fans to go to the nearby stadium instead.

The RCB team was first honoured at the legislature, and then the celebrations continued at the stadium.

The report further details how Gowda’s note was also shared with the then Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, who further escalated it to the chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh. But the event still got official clearance.

B Dayananda was suspended by Karnataka’s home department a day after the incident, citing serious lapses in planning and coordination during the RCB victory celebrations.

Bengaluru stampede sparks political blame game

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly criticised the Congress-led state government, calling it “a complete failure in crowd management.”

“Everyone knew a massive crowd would gather after RCB's win. Still, no adequate security or traffic measures were in place,” said union minister G Kishan Reddy.

Former Karnataka chief minister and union minister HD Kumaraswamy directly blamed deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, labelling the incident a result of “impatience, immaturity, and irresponsibility.” He asked, “Was such a slipshod felicitation needed?”

Union minister and BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje slammed Vidhana Soudha for a private team’s celebration. “The grand stairs of Vidhana Soudha have always been used for swearing-in or state functions. You used it for a private team,” she said.

She went on to allege: “Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have blood on their hands. Now they're trying to wipe it on police officers.” She also criticised the suspension of former police commissioner B Dayananda, calling him “a good and honest officer” who was being scapegoated.

DK Shivakumar issued an apology while countering the BJP’s attack. He said, “BJP is doing politics. We are very sorry for the incident. We will work out a better solution in the future.”

Meanwhile, police have filed a First Information Report against RCB. The FIR also includes DNA Entertainment, the event organiser, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), which manages the stadium. Police stated that no formal permission was given for the stadium event.

On Friday, Bengaluru Police confirmed the arrest of RCB’s marketing and revenue head, Nikhil Sosale.

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