Karnataka HC to Review Crowd Control SOP After Bengaluru Stampede Left 11 Dead

The Karnataka High Court will examine the state’s new crowd control SOPs after a stampede killed 11 people at an RCB event. A judicial inquiry report is yet to be shared with stakeholders. Event organiser DNA Networks questioned media leaks and sought access to the full findings before the next hearing.

The Karnataka High Court has announced it will examine the state government’s standard operating procedures (SOPs) for crowd management during large public gatherings, following the tragic stampede outside Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4 that killed 11 people during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations.

A division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice C M Joshi raised the issue while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) initiated in the aftermath of the incident. The bench referenced the recent Mansadevi temple stampede in Haridwar to highlight the urgency of robust protocols for crowd safety.

Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty informed the court that updated SOPs were released by the state government on July 1. These guidelines emphasise early planning, inter-departmental coordination, behavioural risk assessment, prioritisation of life safety, and de-escalation strategies. The court has granted time to place the updated SOPs on record.

Meanwhile, the state also told the court that the judicial commission’s inquiry into the June 4 tragedy is complete and has been tabled before the cabinet but has yet to be discussed. DNA Entertainment Networks, the event organiser and a respondent in the PIL, expressed concern over media leaks of the commission’s findings and urged the court to instruct the government to share the report officially with all parties.

A separate bench, hearing DNA’s challenge to the commission's findings, directed the government to submit a copy of the report to the court in sealed form for review. The court will reconvene on August 5 to continue proceedings.

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Home Minister G Parameshwara added that B Dayananda, the former Bengaluru police commissioner whose suspension was revoked, will not return to his previous post but will be reassigned within his rank.