The unfortunate stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru which resulted in the death of at least 11 persons, has raised uncomfortable questions that need answers. On its part, the Karnataka government has suspended several top police officials, and some persons have been arrested and sent to judicial custody for their alleged role in the incident.
There is no doubt that there should be accountability when any such thing happens that results in the loss of precious human lives. However, for some odd reason, the issue of “where the buck stops” always remains unresolved.
On April 22nd, terrorists gunned down 25 persons in cold blood in Pahalgam and the incident led to a war like situation between India and Pakistan, where during Operation Sindoor, multiple terror camps in the enemy territory were identified and bombed with precision. The India armed forces known for their valour the world over, lived up to the expectations of the common citizens.
Nevertheless, multiple questions on how the hostilities ended and on certain aspects of the conflict continue to be asked in public domain. There has been a demand for an all-party meeting to bring out the facts of the operation, but this has not been done so far. In addition, what is pertinent is that till this day, the authorities have not been able to identify or nab any of the terrorists who mercilessly killed unarmed tourists in the beautiful hill locale of Pahalgam.
The massacre occurred despite claims that things were returning to normal and things in the sensitive border region were absolutely under control. The Pahalgam incident reflected the failure of intelligence as also carelessness in deployment of security forces in the areas which are frequented by tourists. It was a case of complete incompetence but no accountability has been fixed. In Bengaluru, the police in particular failed to gather the mood of the people and for reasons best known to top officials, did not follow the basic drills to ensure that such large crowds would not gather at a particular place.
The failure of the police department was for all to see, and the stampede that occurred could have been prevented, had better preparedness been shown by the official machinery in dealing with the emerging situation. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru had won the IPL trophy for the first time after an 18-year wait. The entire atmosphere in the city was charged, as fans waited for the winning team to accord them a befitting reception. While cricket lovers made their way towards the stadium, the police and the officials failed to anticipate what could have happened.
The followers of RCB used social media to send messages about the victory celebrations, but the police which could have done a similar thing, was unable to communicate, that convergence at one place was a recipe for disaster. The politicians made things worse since they were extremely eager to cash in on the victory of a private franchise, and which had very little to do with the Karnataka cricket administration. They also failed to anticipate the worst and were under the impression that the police would do its job, which ultimately it did not.
What Karnataka police needed to understand is how police forces of other cities like Mumbai have handled such situations. One may recall that when the Indian team won the World Cup, the celebrations were spread out throughout Mumbai where the winners toured the metropolis in a double decker bus. The fans were able to watch their favourite players without any difficulty, and though the final destination of the bus was the Wankhede Stadium, the crowds were not concentrated at one venue alone. Everyone was satisfied. In Bengaluru, the cops should have similarly advised the RCB players to travel in an open bus through the streets, instead of allowing the fans to gather at the Chinnaswamy stadium which has limited capacity, and was not the place where so many people could have been accommodated.
The normal drill was not observed, and when so many people converged at one venue, the police had no answer. The stampede that followed caught everyone unaware. It was indeed a shameful day and would always be recalled whenever the RCB’s title winning feat is discussed in the future. There are lessons to learn from so many past events. In the 1950s, the authorities at that time decided to have a long route for the Republic Day parade so that crowds were spread out and would not converge at the Rajpath to have a look at the military and cultural pageantry.
Over the years, when the crowd interest started diminishing, the government decided to curtail the route. There was a well-considered rationale in having the long route. This is where the Bengaluru police have failed to rise to the occasion. They should have ensured that the concentration of people at one place, which could not hold them beyond a certain limit, was not permitted.
The BJP is now demanding action against the Karnataka government for the incident. There is no doubt that both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D.K. Shiva Kumar should have been more cautious and the Home Minister should have also been more pro-active. What needs to be understood is that more than the politicians, the police which is a professional force trained to deal with such situations, should have been more responsive. The buck in Bengaluru and in Pahalgam has to stop somewhere. Between us.