Govt could have opted for planned celebration

WITH 11 RCB fans dead and 64 injured in Wednesday's stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium, informed sources told TNIE on condition of anonymity that Bengaluru City Police (BCP) was literally hijacked by the premier cricketing club and people "at the helm of affairs" in the state.

- BALA CHAUHAN @bengaluru

The BCP has come under tremendous flak for the shoddy and unprofessional handling of the crowd that converged outside the stadium, and the stampede that followed and led to 11 casualties—all young people in the prime of their lives, including two minors. An extremely tragic and unprecedented event could have been averted if the government and police had exercised caution and planned the celebration later, in consultation and coordination with all agencies and stakeholders concerned, and after the public frenzy had come down.