Karnataka HC to examine government’s SOP after Bengaluru stampede

The new SOPs emphasise “early planning, inter-departmental coordination, behavioural risk assessment, and prioritisation of life safety, and de-escalation” during crowded events

The Karnataka high court has said it wants to examine the government’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) for crowd control during large public events, in wake of the June 4 stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the celebrations of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) IPL victory.

On June 4, 11 people were killed in a stampede during the RCB’s victory celebrations outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium (AP)

A bench of chief justice Vibhu Bakhru and justice CM Joshi asked advocate general Shashikiran Shetty whether such SOPs were in place and cited the stampede last week at the Mansadevi temple in Haridwar to underscore the importance of protocol in handling mass gatherings.

Shetty, informing the bench that the state did have an existing SOP in place and that it had been updated and released by the government on July 1, sought time to place the same on record. The court accepted the request.

The new SOPs, framed and made public by the government after the June 4 tragedy, emphasise “early planning, inter-departmental coordination, behavioural risk assessment, and prioritisation of life safety, and de-escalation” during crowded events, among other things.

The state also informed the bench that was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) initiated in the aftermath of the stampede, that the judicial commission’s inquiry into the June 4 stampede was complete and that the report has been tabled before the cabinet, but was yet to be discussed.

Event management company DNA Entertainment Networks, which is a respondent party to the suo motu PIL, pointed out that while the cabinet is yet to take a call on the report and the parties to the matter were yet to receive a copy, sections of the media appear to have accessed the document. “We are a party to the matter and still haven’t received a copy. How is it that the media has all details?” senior advocate Sampath Kumar asked.

Kumar added that news reports were hampering DNA’s image and urged the court to direct the state to give his client a copy of the full report. He made the same submissions before another bench of the high court that was presiding over related proceedings. He urged the bench of justices Jayant Banerji and Umesh Adiga — hearing the petition filed by DNA Entertainment challenging the judicial commission’s inquiry and report — to direct the state to give a copy of such report to all parties.

The bench said it will consider DNA’s arguments but directed the government to submit a copy of the report meanwhile, for “its eyes only”, to aid its adjudication. The advocate general agreed and said he will give the court a copy of the report by August 5, the next date of hearing on DNA’s plea. The stampede on June 4 claimed 11 lives and injured several others.

Meanwhile, home minister G Parameshwara said that the former Bengaluru police commissioner B Dayananda, whose suspension was revoked by the government along with three other police officers, will not be reinstated in the same position, and will be instead given a post equivalent to his ranking.

With inputs from PTI