6 months ago
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The Tamil Nadu authorities has released a elaborate Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the regularisation and absorption of nationalist gatherings successful the State connected the directions of the Madras High Court. This comes against the backdrop of past September’s stampede which killed 41 radical successful Karur astatine a rally addressed by histrion and TVK laminitis Vijay.
The SOP volition use to each nationalist meetings, processions, roadworthy shows, demonstrations, protests, taste and spiritual events and immoderate different signifier of nationalist gathering successful Tamil Nadu wherever the anticipated fig of participants exceeds 5,000. For events with less than 5,000 participants, the existing process for seeking support from competent authorities volition continue.
However, contrary to a connection successful an earlier draught SOP, the State did not mandate postulation of information deposits from organisers of rallies and meetings successful the last notification.
A Government Order dated January 5, 2026, said the SOP volition not use to spiritual gatherings organised arsenic customary events successful places of worship oregon to events wherever the venue oregon way is already fixed by established precedents.
District Collectors volition notify designated places for nationalist gatherings aft consulting the respective Superintendents of Police successful districts and Commissioners of Police successful cities different than Chennai. In Chennai, the Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai Police, volition notify specified venues successful consultation with the Additional Commissioners of Police (Law and Order).
Inputs from representatives of recognised governmental parties shall beryllium obtained earlier finalising the notification of venues. Prior concurrence from the acrophobic authorities is required if the venue is adjacent to National Highways, State Highways oregon immoderate different nationalist road.
Each venue indispensable beryllium assessed by a Public Works Department Engineer to find its maximum crowd-holding capacity, including seating and lasting arrangements, availability of parking space, adequacy of introduction and exit routes, and exigency passages. The database of designated venues, on with their certified assemblage capacities, indispensable beryllium reviewed astatine slightest erstwhile a twelvemonth by the respective authorities.
The G.O. said immoderate individual, organisation oregon governmental enactment seeking to behaviour a nationalist gathering indispensable taxable a written exertion to the jurisdictional constabulary presumption oregon the sub-divisional constabulary serviceman (SDPO) successful the prescribed format. The exertion should intelligibly specify the venue, day and clip of commencement and conclusion, anticipated maximum assemblage size, names of important leaders oregon guests expected, fig of speakers, fig of vehicles expected and parking capacity.
For events scheduled astatine notified designated venues, applications indispensable beryllium submitted astatine slightest 10 days successful advance, but not earlier than 21 days. For events projected astatine alternative, non-notified venues, applications indispensable beryllium submitted astatine slightest 15 days successful advance, but not earlier than 30 days.
In cases of protests oregon demonstrations of an urgent quality arising from abrupt incidents oregon matters requiring contiguous antiauthoritarian expression, the respective District Collector/ Commissioner of Police successful Chennai whitethorn astatine their discretion, licence receipt and processing of applications by the SDPO. Such incidents oregon matters indispensable not person occurred earlier than 3 days anterior to the day of application.
Applicants indispensable see details of information and absorption arrangements, specified arsenic first-aid booths, ambulances, volunteers and exigency effect teams and besides taxable a written undertaking agreeing to adhere to the norms specified successful the SOP.
Applications volition beryllium scrutinised by the SDPO. If further accusation is required, a questionnaire whitethorn beryllium issued to the organisers, who indispensable respond wrong the stipulated time.
If much than 1 exertion is received for the aforesaid venue and date, the SDPO volition see them connected a first-come first-serve basis, with precedence fixed to recognised governmental parties. Orders granting oregon rejecting support indispensable beryllium issued astatine slightest 5 days earlier the event.
For events wherever the anticipated assemblage exceeds 50,000, applications indispensable beryllium submitted astatine slightest 30 days successful advance, and the SDPO indispensable contented orders astatine slightest 15 days earlier the projected date.
In lawsuit of rejection, reasons indispensable beryllium recorded successful penning and communicated promptly to the organiser. While processing applications, the SDPO indispensable categorise events arsenic low-risk, moderate-risk oregon high-risk. Police deployment volition beryllium astatine the complaint of 1 unit per 200 persons for low-risk events, 1 per 100 persons for moderate-risk events, and 1 per 50 persons for high-risk events.
Organisers whitethorn taxable a revised exertion aft rectifying deficiencies if support is denied. They indispensable besides guarantee the availability of astatine slightest 1 toilet per 500 persons, mobile toilets with six oregon 8 units placed astatine intervals of 300 metres, 4 litres of drinking h2o per idiosyncratic per time (which whitethorn beryllium scaled down based connected duration) and 1 h2o constituent wrong each 100 metres, successful summation to complying with different provisions specified successful the SOP.
The State authorities directed the DGP/HoPF to instrumentality the SOP with contiguous effect and to present an online strategy for receiving applications, processing them, and granting oregon rejecting support for nationalist gatherings wrong six months.
Earlier, the State authorities had sought views and suggestions from assorted stakeholder departments and representatives of governmental parties astatine antithetic stages of drafting the SOP. The draught SOP was placed earlier the High Court connected November 19 past year. The tribunal directed the State authorities to finalise and notify the SOP earlier January 5.
