Bengaluru stampede: KSCA Secretary, Treasurer resign after emergency meeting
Two top Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials -- secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam -- resigned from their posts during an emergency managing committee meeting held on Saturday, accepting "moral responsibility" for stampede near M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The incident occurred during celebrations following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden IPL title win and claimed 11 lives and left dozens injured.
KSCA President Raghuram Bhat confirmed the development, saying that the resignations were discussed and accepted during an emergency meeting on Saturday.
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"I had called an emergency managing committee meeting. Two of our members -- the secretary and treasurer -- have resigned on moral grounds. The committee has accepted their resignations. So far, nothing has come in. When the inquiry takes place, we have already told the government and the High Court that we will never shy away from anything that is there. We are ready to cooperate with the investigation," Bhat told reporters.
Speaking to later, the KSCA said, "The two resignation letters have been accepted by the managing committee. Today, it was important to accept the resignations as it has already come into the public domain."
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The stampede occurred during the celebrations following Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title win on Wednesday, June 4. The incident sparked widespread concern regarding crowd management and safety arrangements at major public events.
The stampede left 11 people dead and several others injured. Communicating to KSCA on Friday night, both Shankar and Jairam wrote as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, "Due to the unforeseen and unfortunate events that have unfolded in the last two days, and though our role was very limited, but owing moral responsibility, we wish to state that last night we have tendered our resignation to our respective posts as secretary and treasurer of the KSCA."
The Bengaluru Police also filed a first information report (FIR) against the popular IPL franchise on Thursday, as per ESPNCricinfo. The police have said that RCB was not given permission to conduct the event at the stadium. RCB has been listed as the first accused in the FIR, along with DNA Entertainment, the franchise's event partners, and the KSCA, which is in control of the stadium.
On Friday, the cops also confirmed the arrest of RCB's marketing and revenue head Nikhil Sosale, while acting on directives of newly appointed police commissioner SK Singh, who took over after his predecessor was removed by the chief minister Siddaramaiah after the incident.
Later that day, a writ petition was filed by KSCA, arguing that the FIR against them was a move made under pressure of state government by the police and hence a "knee-jerk" reaction.
KSCA said that the stampede was caused due to an unexpected crowd surge and no intent or motive could be attributed to the petitioners. They also stressed that the crowd management was a responsibility which lied with the franchise's management, event organisers and the police.
The council defending the state's cricket governing body also raised concerns about Sosale's arrest, claiming that it indicated a targeted approach. Sosale also approached the Karnataka High Court and challenged his arrest, as per Bar and Bench, an Indian legal news platform.
RCB is yet to issue an official statement on Sosale's arrest, though on Thursday, they announced compensation worth Rs 10 lakh for the family of each deceased and also pledged to cover the medical expenses of those who sustained injuries.
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