Protest meeting organisers should inform police of realistic attendee estimates
Mangaluru City Police have advised protest organizers to provide realistic attendee estimates and select appropriate venues to prevent safety hazards. This directive follows a recent protest where an unexpectedly large crowd at a confined venue created potential stampede risks.
Why it matters
Balancing the democratic right to protest with public safety and crowd management is a critical challenge for urban law enforcement.
The Mangaluru City Police on Saturday issued an advisory to organisers of protest meetings, asking them to provide the police with realistic estimates of the expected number of attendees, among other directions.
City Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy told reporters here that the directions were being reiterated in view of a protest held on Friday against the NEET-UG paper leak at the Town Hall. While the organisers were unclear about the number of attendees and had estimated moderate participation, the crowd rose to about 5,000, severely affecting the public. The selected venue, Town Hall, was not suitable for such a large gathering, and if the venue had not had two gates, a stampede could have occurred, he said.
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