Karnataka cops warned of staff crunch, crowd surge before RCB event, letter shows

A few days after the tragic stampede outside M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru that killed 11 people and injured 56, a police letter shows that officials had warned about security risks. The letter, dated June 4 (the day of the incident), was written by Deputy Commissioner of Police M.N. Karibasavana Gowda. It was sent to senior government officials. In the letter, Gowda said lakhs of cricket fans were expected near Vidhana Soudha and there was a shortage of police staff. He warned that managing the crowd would be very hard. He also pointed out that CCTV cameras were not fully installed, making it difficult to monitor the crowd. Gowda said the stage built for the event must be checked by the Public Works Department (PWD) for safety. He asked for anti-sabotage checks before the event and suggested setting up an anti-drone system, as drones might fly over the crowd. He also asked for extra police from outside the city to help, but said there was not enough time to coordinate everything properly.