Gold medalist CA Akshata Pai, not a cricket fan, took leave out of curiosity, dies in RCB celebration stampede in Bengaluru
Akshata Pai, a 26-year-old chartered accountant from Mulki, died in a crowd surge during the
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
(RCB) IPL victory celebration held in Bengaluru on Wednesday. She and her husband, Ashay Amballi, had taken a half-day leave from work to attend the event, which saw thousands gather near Chinnaswamy Stadium. The couple became separated in the crowd, and Akshata was later found dead at Bowring Hospital.
Married recently, settled in Bengaluru
Akshata, who had completed her CA in her first attempt, married Ashay Ranjan Amballi from Siddapur in Uttara Kannada about one and a half years ago. The couple had settled in Bengaluru, where Ashay works as a software engineer. They had returned home to attend the Bappanadu fair and decided to witness the RCB celebration, although Akshata was not an active cricket follower.
'We don't know how or why she went there,' says uncle
The shocked family shared the family's disbelief with Udayavani. 'She was not the kind of girl to attend victory rallies or public events like this. We don't understand how or why she ended up there,' Akshata's uncle told a local news site.
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The family found Akshata's body after searching hospitals for nearly four hours. She had reportedly fallen in the crowd, and her husband lost sight of her.
Husband recounts the horrific incident from the stadium
As per the local report Akshata and her husband took a half-day leave to attend the IPL victory celebration at Chinnaswamy Stadium. As the crowd surged toward the gate, husband recounted that people started falling over each other. I was holding my wife's hand and took support from a barricade beside me, but the stampede caused both of us to fall to the ground. I shouted for help. Someone pulled me aside, but I lost sight of my wife. I looked everywhere, called the police and even checked hospitals nearby. Finally, I found her body at Bowring Hospital. By then, it was too late,' husband told a local news site.
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Karnataka High Court steps in
Taking serious note of the stampede that occurred outside Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Karnataka High Court on 5 June issued a notice to the state government. The court has asked for a detailed report on the incident, which led to the death of 11 people and injuries to many others.
Court initiates suo motu petition
The High Court took up the matter through a suo motu writ petition after seeing media reports on the tragedy that unfolded during the RCB victory celebrations on Wednesday. A bench led by Acting Chief Justice VK Rao and Justice CM Joshi scheduled the next hearing for 10 June.
Details emerge during hearing
During the hearing, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty submitted a preliminary report and assured the court that all necessary steps were being taken. He stated that the state was not treating the issue in an adversarial manner and welcomed public suggestions for future safety.
CM orders magisterial inquiry, announces compensation
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had earlier ordered a magisterial inquiry and expressed sorrow over the deaths. He said that the crowd had swelled to over two lakh people, far beyond the expected turnout of 40,000. The state government announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those who died.
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RCB matches government relief
On Thursday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru also announced Rs 10 lakh as financial support for each of the bereaved families. The victims included several young people, with names confirmed by hospitals including Bowring, Manipal, and Vaidehi.
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