Rahul Dravid breaks silence after Bengaluru stampede claims 11 lives: 'I am from here. Such a tragedy...'
Former India captain Rahul Dravid was left "heartbroken" and "disappointed" as he reacted to the stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on June 4 during the IPL trophy victory celebration for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The RCB ended their 18-year wait for an IPL trophy on June 3 with a six-run win against the Punjab Kings in the final in Ahmedabad.
In celebration of the maiden IPL title win, more than 2.5 lakh people gathered in and around the Chinnaswamy Stadium to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars. However, the celebration turned into a tragedy after 11 people lost their lives during the stampede, and more than 50 were left injured.
Speaking to NDTV, the Bengaluru-based former India cricketer condoled the unfortunate incident and added that it was harrowing given the city's deep sporting culture.
"Very disappointing. It's very sad. Bengaluru is a sports-passionate city. I come from here. People over here love all sports, not just cricket. They follow all the sports and also all the sporting teams, be it a football team or a kabaddi team. It's really heartbreaking that such an unfortunate incident happened. Our thoughts go out to everyone for unfortunately lost their lives and those who were injured." Dravid said. "Such a tragedy shouldn't have happened."
Following the tragedy, A Shankar and E S Jairam resigned from their respective position of secretary and treasurer of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), taking "moral responsibility" for the incident.
On the other hand, Nikhil Sosale, marketing head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, was arrested on June 6. On Tuesday, the Karnataka High Court denied him any interim relief. In his petition, Sosale questioned the legality of his arrest, alleging that political directives influenced the police action.
Earlier Monday, the Karnataka High Court restrained officials from taking any coercive action against RCB and event partner DNA Entertainment Pvt Ltd until June 12.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
12 minutes ago
- India.com
MLC 2025: Full List Of Team Captains For All Six Franchises - Glenn Maxwell To Lead Washington Freedom, Nicholas Pooran To Lead…
photoDetails english 2915158 Updated:Jun 12, 2025, 09:12 PM IST Glenn Maxwell – Washington Freedom 1 / 7 Australian all-rounder Maxwell takes over captaincy from Steve Smith as Washington Freedom's new skipper. He leads the defending champions, bringing explosive batting and leadership experience to guide the side. Jason Holder – Los Angeles Knight Riders 2 / 7 The West Indies legend has been appointed captain of the Knight Riders, replacing Sunil Narine (who may lead in Holder's absence). Holder adds strong all-round skills and experience to the leadership position. Faf du Plessis – Texas Super Kings 3 / 7 The former South African captain continues to lead TSK with his calm demeanor, strategic acumen, and previous IPL success under MS Dhoni's mentorship. Corey Anderson – San Francisco Unicorns 4 / 7 All-rounder Anderson retains the captaincy after guiding the Unicorns to the 2024 final; his continuity adds tactical consistency and on-field clarity. Heinrich Klaasen – Seattle Orcas 5 / 7 Klaasen remains at the helm for the Orcas, leading a drastically revamped squad in 2025 as they aim for a comeback from last season's struggles. Nicholas Pooran – MI New York 6 / 7 Named captain after being the top run-scorer in MLC 2023 (388 runs), the West Indian batter's experience and form make him a natural choice to spearhead the franchise 7 / 7
New Indian Express
29 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Karnataka HC directs release of four accused persons in connection with Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede
BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday ordered the release of four individuals associated with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) victory celebration event who were arrested following the stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4. The tragic incident claimed 11 lives and injured over 50 people. The four people released are Nikhil Sosale, Marketing and Revenue Head of Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL); Sunil Mathew, Director of DNA Networks Private Limited; Kiran Kumar S, Event Manager at DNA Networks; and Shamant N P Mavinakere, a freelancer linked with DNA. Justice S R Krishna Kumar passed the order while hearing their bail petitions. However, the court directed the accused to surrender their passports. A detailed order is yet to be released. The arrests, made on June 6, have drawn criticism from various quarters, and the court's decision is being seen as a setback to the Bengaluru city police and the state government. Public anger has been high over the handling of the stampede, which happened during celebrations of RCB's performance in the IPL. Lawyers representing the arrested argued that the arrests were politically motivated and carried out on the instructions of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. They also claimed that no proper investigation was conducted and no evidence was presented before arresting the petitioners. On the other hand, the state government told the court that all legal procedures were followed. It said the accused were informed of the reasons for their arrest as required under Supreme Court guidelines. Karnataka govt submits sealed response in suo motu case Meanwhile, in a related case, the Karnataka government submitted a sealed report to the High Court in response to a suo motu public interest litigation concerning the stampede. Advocate General K Shashikiran Shetty submitted the sealed cover before a bench led by Acting Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice C M Joshi. The report was in response to nine questions the court had asked the government regarding the incident. The court also directed the state to preserve all original communications between government departments and stakeholders. These records must be kept in the custody of the chief secretary.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
DPAR permission to KSCA for Vidhana Soudha event reached police on June 5, document indicates
The letter from the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR), in-charge of Vidhana Soudha, giving permission to the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to hold a felicitation for the IPL winning Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team on the grand steps of the administrative nerve centre of the State, was received at the office of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Vidhana Soudha Security) only on June 5. The event was on June 4, the note by the inward section at the office shows. This has raised questions on the timeline of events, and how the letter could reach the police a day after the event. The Hindu is in possession of the complete trail of the documents. The papers show that the DPAR writes to DCP (Vidhana Soudha Security) seeking his opinion for an event to felicitate RCB on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha if the team wins. Flagging concerns This letter is dated and signed June 3. In response to this letter, M. N. Karibasavana Gowda, DCP (Vidhana Soudha Security), wrote back flagging concerns over lack of time to prepare for security for the event, but said the police would abide by the decision of the government. This letter has been dated and signed June 4. Following this, DPAR wrote to the CEO, KSCA, permitting them to hold the event on the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha subject to 16 conditions. A copy of this letter, dated June 4, seems to have reached the police on June 5. For all letters and documents that reach a police station or an office, the inward section assigns it a serial number, enters it in a register and marks it with a seal and sign. The DPAR letter giving permission to the KSCA for the event, is marked with serial number 1656 and the official has signed the document marking the date June 5, 2025. However, DPAR Secretary G. Satyavathi said that the allegations were 'not true'. Despite multiple attempts, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh was not available for comment. Multiple probes Presently, multiple probes — magisterial inquiry, judicial inquiry by Justice John Michael Cunha, and CID — into the stampede fiasco are mostly focusing on the events at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Amidst the IAS and IPS officials being at loggerheads, there have been demands from within the fraternity that the probe be expanded to all the happenings with respect to RCB victory celebrations in the city on June 4, including the event at the Vidhana Soudha. Police officials have argued that the event at the stadium cannot be looked at in isolation, as the open-air event at the Vidhana Soudha and the confusion over the victory parade brought lakhs of fans to the streets, leading to overcrowding and stampede at the stadium. Video clips Two video clips which show the crowds gathered at the Vidhana Soudha being directed towards the stadium are also doing the rounds. A senior IAS officer, speaking to television channels during preparations of the event on the grand steps, is heard saying that the Vidhana Soudha was only the starting point of the victory parade and appealing to RCB fans to not gather in large numbers at the Vidhana Soudha but go to the stadium. By then Home Minister G. Parameshwara had announced that there would be no victory parade, sources claimed. In another video, the anchor of the felicitation event at the Vidhana Soudha, announcing the end of the event, is heard appealing to the crowd to move towards the stadium, 'if there was space'. 'Any probe into the stampede fiasco that day has to look at all the events of the day holistically and not in a piecemeal manner,' a senior police official said.
