Chennai: In view of the controversy over poor management at AR Rahman's live concert on Sunday, DGP Shankar Jiwal ordered Tambaram police commissioner Amalraj to initiate an inquiry to ascertain the reasons behind the disturbance and identify the lapses.
Amalraj, who visited the concert venue said that a thorough investigation is being conducted into the role of organisers. He said that permission was obtained for 25,000 people who would attend the concert but 45,000-50,000 people turned up at the event.
The concert, organised by a private company, promised an evening of musical brilliance with tickets sold in various categories, including Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond, priced between Rs 3,000 and Rs. 27,000. However, the event took an unexpected turn due to overcrowding leaving fans in anger and disappointment.
The overcrowding at the venue caused immense distress to the fans, especially those who brought their children. Heavy traffic congestion for more than two hours added to the difficulties faced by the concert goers.
Notably, the Chennai Traffic Police had already predicted that there will be more traffic in ECR and urged public to make travel arrangements in advance in view of the increase in traffic. For less traffic might utilse the OMR, it tweeted.
Despite ticket categories and colour coding, the overcrowding made it impossible for people to enter the venue. Many of those who had purchased tickets were unable to enjoy the concert. Disgruntled fans took to social media to express their dissatisfaction, criticising the organisers, safety measures and seating arrangements.
In response to the escalating situation, the organisers issued an apology, accepting full responsibility for the disruptions during the concert. Rahman himself addressed the situation asking those who were unable to attend the concert due to "extraordinary circumstances" to share their ticket copies and grievances via email.
Tambaram Police Commissioner conducted an inspection of the concert venue in Panaiyur today. He later told reporters, "The event was being planned for a week. The arrangements were made to accommodate 25,000 people. However, it appears that the actual turnout exceeded much more than our expectations as nearly 40,000 people turned up at to watch the concert. The traffic congestion was due to the additional volume of vehicles that arrived at the venue. We are conducting a thorough investigation to determine the root causes of this situation."
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Amalraj further said that the police department intends to initiate an investigation to ascertain role of the organisers in the alleged mismanagement of the concert.
