Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 8: In the face of the blame game over the stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru leading to the suspension of at least five top police officers, a letter written by the deputy police commissioner flagging security concern in the event of a victory parade by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru showed that the Karnataka government ignored the explicit warning to go ahead with the celebrations on June 4 leading to the stampede killing 11 people.
The letter written by MN Karibasavana Gowda DCP (Vidhana Soudha Security), is the only document that shows the State government overruled concerns raised by the Bengaluru City Police and went ahead with RCB victory celebrations. While it is true that no untoward incidents happened at the Vidhana Soudha event, police have argued an open air event at the administrative nerve centre of the state, coupled with a unilateral announcement by RCB of a victory parade on June 4 morning, brought lakhs to the street eventually leading to a stampede at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The letter was written in response to a query raised by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) on June 3 seeking opinion on felicitation for the RCB team if they won in the IPL finals. Responding to this letter on June 4 MN Karibasavana Gowda, DCP (Vidhana Soudha Security), flagged concerns over “lakhs of RCB fans gathering for the event,” said since there was a shortage of security personnel in the Vidhana Soudha division making bandobust for the event could be a problem. He further says that there was a lack of time to deploy more personnel from outside the Vidhana Soudha Security unit, to coordinate with Law and Order and Traffic Police.
DCP Vidhana Soudha Security had concluded that there was need of more time to hold the event at Vidhana Soudha, a vital installation following all rules, but says the police would abide by whatever decision the government takes. Multiple sources said flagging lack of time to prepare the city police suggested that the victory celebrations be postponed to Sunday, June 8. However, they were overruled, sources said.
A massive crowd gathered outside the Vidhana Soudha for the felicitation event, which was attended by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy DK Shivakumar.
Mr Karibasavana Gowda had related his primary concern about the event, which was to take place on the grand steps of the state legislative assembly building, was an acute shortage of officers and personnel. He told DPAR head G Satyavathi that this will severely hamper security arrangements (bandobust) for such a large-scale event.
The details of the letter has come at a time when the state government is under heavy fire over its alleged mismanagement of the celebrations at the state legislature and the Chinnaswamy stadium. The police officer listed a set of challenges and also recommended a series of measures that should be undertaken to tackle them.
He stressed the need for “additional police personnel from outside” to oversee the security, even though it will “require sufficient preparation time”. “Coordination with the Law & Order and Traffic Police departments is essential for such a large-scale event, and the current time frame seems inadequate for full preparedness,” he said.
It also flagged the possibility of the usage of drone cameras by the public and recommended that an Anti-Drone System be installed at the venue. The police advised against the entry of family members of the secretariat staff for the felicitation programme.
“The event is to be held at 4:00 PM on 04.06.2025. There is a high chance that Secretariat officers/staff may bring their family members to the venue. Therefore, it is requested that orders be issued prohibiting staff from bringing families and declaring an afternoon holiday for Secretariat staff on the said date. Further, they should be instructed not to attend the event venue,” he said.
Mr Gowda had recommended that “all online and offline passes for public entry to Vidhana Soudha be completely restricted on that day.” He said the stage setup for felicitating the players must be certified for structural stability by the Public Works Department (PWD). “Organisers should be informed to make the stage available for inspection at least two hours in advance,” he said.
“As electrical equipment will be used at the event, a fitness certificate must be obtained from the concerned PWD (Electrical) Assistant Executive Engineer. A formal letter should be sent to them for this purpose,” he added. Organisers should be instructed to make the stage available at least two hours before the program for anti-sabotage checks, Mr Gowda said.
The officer noted that given that the Vidhana Soudha is a heritage and vital installation building, “it is essential that the program be conducted strictly as per security norms without causing any damage to the structure”. “However, the government’s final decision will be followed accordingly,” he said.
“The RCB cricket team has a fan following across the country. Organising the event in a hurry on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha when lakhs of cricket fans will arrive at Vidhana Soudha will lead to problems in security arrangements since there is a shortage of officers/personnel in Vidhana Soudha security division,” the letter said.
The letter highlighted the potential for chaos given the team’s immense popularity and the large gathering of fans expected. It further suggested that the employees at Vidhana Soudha should get a half-day leave and flagged a lack of CCTV cameras to monitor the crowd. The Karnataka government has not yet reacted to the details revealed by the letter.
Apart from an FIR against the RCB franchise, DNA Entertainment Pvt Ltd, an event management company, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), the Karnataka police suspended multiple IPS officers, including Bengaluru city police commissioner B Dayananda.
Additional Commissioner of Police Vikash Kumar Vikash, DCP (Central) Shekhar HT, Assistant Commissioner of Police Balakrishna and Cubbon Park police inspector Girish AK were also suspended with immediate effect.
Four individuals, including senior RCB official Nikhil Sosale and three event managers, were arrested in a joint operation by the police and the Central Crime Branch (CCB) at Kempegowda International Airport in the early hours of June 6. On Saturday top senior officials of the KSCA – secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam – tendered their resignations taking “moral responsibility” for the stampede.
The one-man inquiry commission formed by the Karnataka government under retired High Court judge John Michael Cunha, has been asked to identify the persons responsible for the omissions or deficiencies that led to this incident. As per the terms of reference to the commission from the government, it has also suggested precautionary measures that can be taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future, among others.
A day after the stampede incident, the chief minister had announced that a one-man panel will be formed under Cunha to look into the procedural lapses in the issue, and the commission has been asked to give the report in 30 days. The Siddaramaiah-led government has ordered an increase in the compensation announced for the families of those who died in the stampede to Rs 25 lakh each. Earlier, the government had announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each. Senior BJP leaders mounted an attack on Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, alleging that the duo wanted to take “selfies” and “celebrate” the victory with RCB players.
“After this big tragedy in Karnataka, more than 30 common citizens were injured, and 11 people lost their lives. The chief minister, Siddaramaiah, and the deputy chief minister, DK Shivakumar, are two culprits… Because they wanted to take selfies and wanted to celebrate the victory with the RCB players, the whole attention of the police and the officers was on them. They were busy giving protection to the chief minister and deputy chief minister, whereas the crowd gathered at the Stadium was left unattended,” the Karnataka deputy leader of opposition and BJP MLA Arvind Bellad said.
Senior BJP leader CT Ravi also called to fix the responsibility. “11 people died – speaking the truth about it, is that politics…who is responsible? Did we call everyone to Vidhana Soudha and felicitate them? Does RCB represent the state or Kannadigas? The CM and deputy CM are responsible. Your political credit war caused this…” he said.
