3 years imprisonment, 5 lakh fine, Karnataka government is bringing crowd control law, know what is special in it:

News Topical, Digital Desk : Recently, 11 people died in a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After this incident, the Karnataka government is going to bring a new law with the aim of making the crowd management protocol more strict. This draft of the law was discussed in the state cabinet and it is expected that it will be introduced in the monsoon session of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Let us tell you what is in the new law?

Provision of strict punishment for event organizers

The proposed law mandates criminal penalties for event organisers who do not follow safety and crowd control norms. According to the draft, organisers who do not seek prior permission from the police, fail to control the crowd, are negligent in paying compensation in case of an incident or violate any provision of the Act will face strict legal consequences. These offences will be non-cognisable and non-bailable. Key provisions of the bill include:

Imprisonment up to 3 years
Fine ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh

Accountability and compensation mandatory

The bill also spells out detailed responsibilities for organisers of public events, especially those organised for commercial purposes such as sports, matches or circuses. According to the bill, the offences include:

Deliberate disobedience of crowd safety norms
Causing injury or death due to mismanagement
causing a disturbance that may result in panic, injury, or a stampede
promoting or recklessly causing dangerous consequences
The most important thing in this bill is that the new law makes it mandatory that the organisers will compensate the victims of incidents like stampede. If compensation is not given, the government has the right to recover the amount as land revenue arrears, which also includes the option of auctioning the property of the organiser.

Exemptions for religious gatherings

Religious events are exempted in the proposed law. This exemption recognises the cultural and ritual significance of these events. These include traditional community celebrations, such as:

Jatra
Rathotsav
Pallakki Festival
Teppada Teru
Urus

Government brought proposal amid criticism

The bill comes amid sharp criticism of the Siddaramaiah-led state government, with opposition parties BJP and JD(S) blaming both the chief minister and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar for the lack of planning and poor execution during the June 4 celebrations. The stampede took place when thousands of people had gathered at the Chinnaswamy Stadium to celebrate Royal Challengers Bangalore's maiden IPL title. During this, 11 people died and dozens were injured due to the stampede outside the stadium.