Weeks after the tragic Karur stampede that claimed 41 lives, the Tamil Nadu government has come up with a new set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for political rallies and public programmes.
The draft SOPs were discussed at an all-party meeting in Chennai, though the government has yet to announce them officially.
According to the proposed guidelines, organisers will now be required to seek permission at least 10 days before any rally or public gathering. Depending on the size of the event, a security deposit of up to Rs 20 lakh will be mandated.
Organisers will be prohibited from making participants wait for more than two hours at the venue. If the crowd exceeds the approved limit, 50% of the security deposit will be withheld.
In addition,
organisers will be responsible for providing volunteers, drinking water and food to attendees. For rallies expecting heavy crowds, the government plans to deploy police personnel at a ratio of one officer for every 50 people.
The move comes amid growing concerns over the lack of crowd control and safety measures at political gatherings across the state, following the Karur tragedy on September 27.
Last week, the Madras High Court directed the Tamil Nadu government to frame SOP within 10 days for conducting public events, including roadshows and rallies by political parties in the state.
When the case came up for hearing, Additional Advocate General J Ravindran informed the Bench that no political party will be allowed to hold rallies/roadshows till the SOP is framed. But, they will not be prevented from conducting public meetings, he added.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating the tragic incident. CBI officials on Monday visited the TVK party office in Chennai and sought details on the tragic stampede.
Last week, Vijay apologised to the victims of the September 27 Karur stampede at a one-on-one interaction with them in a closed-door meeting in a private resort in Mamallapuram.
The nearly 8-hour meeting came exactly a month after the tragic incident where Vijay told the families that he could not meet them in Karur since he did not get the required permission to travel to the town, located about 400 km from the state capital Chennai.
