The Karnataka government is preparing to draft guidelines to make medical clearance mandatory before any kind of large gathering, after a stampede in the Chinnaswamy stadium of Bengaluru due to the overwhelming crowd during RCB’s historic IPL win. According to a senior official familiar with the matter, the health department is set to recommend mandatory medical clearance for large gatherings to ensure proper preparedness for emergencies in such events, the Hindustan Times reported.

According to the proposed draft, events with the expectation of heavy footfall will require to deployment of medical professionals on site in designated numbers. The Health Minister, Dinesh Gundu Rao, is likely to propose the new guidelines soon. 

“Events anticipating massive footfalls must mandatorily have a minimum number of doctors, trained medical personnel, and ICU-equipped ambulances on standby,” the official said.

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The development comes after it was reported that the RCB victory event in Bengaluru, which claimed 11 lives, had no medical professionals on site. “The department was neither informed nor consulted about medical arrangements for the event,” said the official.

Providing details on what happened on June 4, the official said that people suffering severe breathlessness were treated on the roadside in the absence of medical professionals. 

Bengaluru Stampede

Many gathered near gate number 7 of the stadium around 4 pm and 5 pm in the hope of gaining entry. The crowd control system collapsed with the influx of people. Many fell unconscious as panic prevailed. 

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Karnataka High Court highlighted the fact that only two ambulances were deployed at the venue as it took suo motu cognisance of the matter. In a public interest litigation hearing, the court observed that timely CPR could have saved lives and questioned the adequacy of emergency preparedness.