Karnataka mulls heavy fine, imprisonment in proposed crowd control bill after Bengaluru stampede

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The proposed bill, one of four taken up for discussion in a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, plans to punish event organisers for failing to control large crowds with up to three years of jail along with a hefty fine. read more
The Siddaramaiah administration in Karnataka has proposed a Crowd Control Bill more than two weeks after the stampede at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 dead and several more injured. PTI/AP
The Karnataka government on Thursday proposed a new crowd management bill more than two weeks after a tragic stampede at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium that left 11 dead and reportedly up to 75 injured.
The Karnataka Crowd Control Bill, 2025, which was taken up for discussion in a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, aims to regulate large gatherings in the state like the one at the iconic stadium where the Royal Challengers Bengaluru were celebrating their maiden Indian Premier League triumph on 4 June.
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Crowd Control Bill set to punish event organisers
And in the bill, the organisers of the event will not only be held responsible for failing to manage a large crowd, they could also be slapped with a Rs 50,000 fine and up to three years of imprisonment.
'Four bills were proposed today — Karnataka crowd control, managing crowd at events and venue of mass gathering Bill, 2025; Karnataka Rohith Vemula Bill, 2025; Karnataka misinformation, fake news prohibition Bill, 2025; Karnataka hate speech and hate crimes prevention Bill, 2025,' State Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil told reporters after the cabinet meeting on Thursday.
'These Bills were proposed at the meeting today. I mentioned that on some Bills there is a need for a detailed discussion. It has been decided that before the next cabinet meeting, concerned ministers will meet and discuss and bring the Bills before the cabinet," he added.
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The crowd control bill will also require event organisers to compensate victims in stampede like incidents. However, it will not cover religious events such as Jatra, Rathotsava, Pallakki Utsava, Teppada Teru and Urus.
The Siddaramaiah government had earlier directed the Bengaluru police to file a First Information Report (FIR) against the organisers of RCB's victory celebration at the Chinnaswamy after the deadly stampede broke out due to overcrowding and lack of control.
Nikhil Sosale, RCB's marketing and revenue head, was arrested from Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport two days after the tragedy along with three executives associated with DNA Entertainment, the event organiser.
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Sosale and the DNA Executives, however, have since been granted interim bail by the Karnataka High Court due to lack of material proof specifically tying them to the stampede.
The Court had also granted conditional bail to the senior officials of the Karnataka State Cricket Association, which manages the Chinnaswamy stadium and other cricket venues in the state. However, two senior officials – secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam – resigned from their posts shortly after the tragic incident citing 'moral responsibility'.