Bengaluru stampede: Police raised concerns about 'huge crowd' in letter
What's the story
On June 4, 2025, a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium left 11 dead and 56 injured during a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) felicitation event.
A letter dated the same day has now revealed that police had raised concerns about potential security risks.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Legislature Security) M N Karibasavana Gowda sent the letter to G Sathyavathi, Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, among other officials.
Security concerns
Event expected to attract 'lakhs of fans'
In his letter, Gowda warned that hosting the event at Vidhana Soudha would "attract lakhs of fans," making crowd management a major challenge due to a shortage of security personnel.
He recommended suspending all public entry passes on June 4 and advised against government staff bringing family members to the Secretariat.
The DCP also pointed out inadequate surveillance infrastructure at Vidhana Soudha, with incomplete CCTV coverage despite previous requests.
Event preparations
What else was recommended?
Gowda insisted on structural and electrical safety inspections of the stage being erected for the event by the Public Works Department (PWD).
He also called for anti-sabotage checks two hours before the event and stressed on having a functional anti-drone system.
The urgency of mobilizing additional police personnel from outside Bengaluru was stressed, with coordination between law enforcement and traffic police deemed essential but challenging given short notice.
Official response
'Govt ignored warnings'
Despite these warnings, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said they didn't expect such a huge crowd.
According to them, around three lakh people came to the stadium, which has a capacity of only 35,000.
BJP leader Bharat Shetty slammed the state government for ignoring these warnings, implying political motives behind proceeding with the event.
Crowd control
CM invited people through social media
Shetty also slammed the CM for inviting people through social media without proper crowd control measures.
He compared it to preparations made for India's T20 World Cup victory parade in Mumbai, which took several days.
The tragic incident has raised questions about security preparedness and crowd management at large public events in Bengaluru.