Stampede tragedy: Karnataka readies SOPs for crowd management at mass gatherings

Bengaluru, July 1 (IANS) The Karnataka government has formulated the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for crowd management at events and mass gatherings against the backdrop of the June 4 stampede tragedy, which claimed 11 lives during the victory celebration of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team.

The office of the Director General M. A. Saleem issued the new SOP guidelines on Tuesday, specifying pre-event planning and preparation, coordination, on-ground deployment and access control, emergency preparedness, arrest procedures and crowd dispersal orders, use of force, and other matters.

The SOP is intended as a guideline for police officers and event planners. Each situation demands context-specific judgment. Unit officers are expected to adapt the SOP to local needs while upholding its core principles of public safety, legal compliance and human dignity, the order stated.

The SOP is issued to provide a standardised framework for managing crowds efficiently while ensuring public safety, protecting individual rights, and maintaining law and order, the order states.

Police responses must prioritise life safety, protection of rights, prevention of property damage, and de-escalation of potential conflicts, the order states.

Modern gatherings are often spontaneous and influenced by social media, necessitating adaptive strategies, it states, stressing the likely problems involved.

Under venue safety audit, the guidelines include ensuring venue compliance with safety standards, including capacity limits, entry/exit routes, an emergency evacuation plan, and communication infrastructure.

The venues failing safety audits must not be approved for high-footfall events. The police officers are also asked to liaise with organisers to gather critical details. There are also specific guidelines for barricade management to control the rush of people.

--IANS

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