A number of hours earlier than the Bengaluru stampede that claimed 11 lives throughout Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations, the town police had objected to felicitating the champions on the Vidhana Soudha citing a number of causes. Nonetheless, the Karnataka authorities went forward with the programme ignoring the pink flags.
M N Karibasavana Gowda, DCP (Vidhana Soudha safety), red-flagged the risks in a June 4, 2025, letter written to the federal government secretary to the Division of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR). In 10 factors, Gowda talked about issues together with safety, time to rearrange very important installations, and threats to them.
Gowda’s response got here after the DPAR sought his opinion on holding the felicitation occasion on the grand steps of the Vidhana Soudha to honour the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) gamers.
1) RCB has an enormous fan following throughout the nation. If the occasion on the grand steps is organised, lakhs of cricket followers will come to the Vidhana Soudha. There will likely be an issue as there’s a scarcity of officers or workers for bandobast.
2) We request that the distribution of passes, on-line or offline, for the general public to attend the felicitation at Vidhana Soudha be stopped.
3) On the June 4 occasion, scheduled for 4 pm, it’s extremely possible that the secretariat officers or workers would convey their members of the family. We request you to declare a half-day vacation for the officers or workers and likewise to direct them to not attend the occasion or convey their households to the occasion.
4) Vidhana Soudha is an important set up. We’ve got requested that CCTV cameras be put in in entrance and across the Vidhana Soudha, however the cameras haven’t been put in. With lakhs of followers arriving on the Vidhana Soudha, CCTV cameras are needed. However with out CCTV cameras, it’ll pose a risk to the safety system.
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5) Because the programme is being held on the Vidhana Soudha’s grand steps, we wish a no-objection certificates to be issued by the Public Works Division (PWD). Additionally, the organisers should be knowledgeable that the police must be allowed to conduct safety checks not less than two hours earlier than the occasion.
6) With electrical tools used throughout the occasion, the involved engineer should problem a health certificates. Additionally, we request a written communication be despatched to the assistant government engineer and the PWD (electrical).
7) The organisers should enable the anti-sabotage verify squad not less than two hours earlier than the occasion.
8) Because the RCB fan following is big, police personnel from outdoors the town will likely be required. It should require time.
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9) The legislation and order and the site visitors police must coordinate to conduct such an enormous occasion and there’s not sufficient time.
10) There are probabilities of utilizing drones throughout such occasions and anti-drone programs are required.
On the finish of the letter, the DCP wrote, the Vidhana Soudha is a heritage constructing and an important set up. Preserving safety in view, we’d like time to conduct time to conduct the occasion. Regardless of this, we are going to abide by the federal government’s choice.