Mysuru police struggled to control crowds along the Dasara procession route on October 21 after people gathered at several major junctions attempted to push through barricades as the procession began, according to a report by Prajavani – Mysuru.
Crowd pressure increased at Chamarajendra Circle, KR Circle, Devaraja Market and Ayurvedic Circle, the report said. People who had assembled at these locations tried to move forward towards the procession route, placing additional pressure on the barricades and the police personnel deployed to manage the movement.
Police intervened when women and children became trapped within the crowd. They were brought out from behind the barricades and seated in a safer area, according to the report. The incident highlighted the difficulty of maintaining separated movement corridors when large numbers of spectators gather along a ceremonial route.
Some women who fell ill amid the crowd were taken by ambulance to a local hospital, Prajavani reported. The report did not provide details on the number of people treated, the nature of their medical conditions or the hospital to which they were taken.
The locations named in the report are among the central points along the city’s busy Dasara procession environment, where public movement, police deployment, barricading and spectator access converge. When crowds press against temporary barriers, police personnel must simultaneously protect the procession route, prevent unauthorised movement and assist people who may be distressed or unable to move freely.
The reported incidents also show the operational demands placed on city streets during major public events. Barricades are used to create controlled edges between the procession and spectators, but their effectiveness depends on crowd density, the behaviour of people at the front of the gathering and the ability of police to keep access points clear. The report did not specify whether any barricades were damaged or whether the procession was delayed.
Prajavani’s report said police continued efforts to control the gathering at the named junctions as the procession proceeded. It did not provide a further statement from the police, details of additional crowd-management measures or an update on the condition of the women taken to hospital.
