BENGALURU: A new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be introduced for large-scale meetings, events, and victory celebrations, Home Minister G Parameshwara said after inspecting the M Chinnaswamy Stadium along with senior police officials, where the stampede occurred on Wednesday afternoon. Abandoned shoes, slippers, flags and broken glass doors littered the footpath outside the stadium.
Parameshwara told reporters, “An incident like the one that occurred on Wednesday has never happened in the cricketing history of the state. The Chief Minister has collected various inputs and ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Strict action will be taken against those responsible, regardless of who they are. It was estimated that one lakh people would gather in front of Vidhana Soudha. At the stadium, around 40,000 people were inside, while an estimated 2.5 lakh people were outside.”
In response to a reporter’s question, he said, “We did not make any request to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise or Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) in this regard; they had organised the victory celebration event. The government also felt it should felicitate the players and be a part of the celebrations because it is Bengaluru’s team.”
To ensure such incidents don’t happen again, the Home department will develop a new SOP, he said. “Going forward, any large event, gathering, or celebration must be conducted within the framework of police department guidelines. We will take strict action related to this incident. We are examining where the lapses occurred,” he added.