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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Bengaluru stampede: Karnataka HC takes suo motu cognizance of matter, calls for status report from state govt by next Tuesday
The Karnataka High Court Thursday took suo motu cognizance of the recent stampede near the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, calling for a status report from the state government by next Tuesday. The case was heard by a division bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice C M Joshi. At least 11 deaths and many injuries had resulted from the stampede, which occurred after a large crowd had gathered outside the stadium to celebrate the victory of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The court stated, 'News items have been published by various newspapers… wherein a narration has been made about the unfortunate public tragedy on 4/6/2025. This court, taking cognizance of the incident… to ascertain the reasons which led to the tragedy, whether the tragedy could have been prevented, what remedial measures need to be taken to prevent such tragedies in future.' Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty submitted that 1,318 local cops, as well as 325 personnel from the Karnataka State Reserve Police, were deployed in the vicinity of the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the celebratory event on Wednesday. Shetty also provided other details like the number of ambulances, water tankers, and fire tenders present at the spot. He stated, 'More than 2.5 lakh persons gathered around Chinnaswamy Stadium, resulting in… death of 11 persons at various gates.' In response to a query from the court on standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the presence of ambulances, the advocate general said, 'The Government has taken the issue seriously and is exploring the option of issuing a fresh SOP to regulate public gathering… of every kind.' He informed that while facilities like ambulances were there, they were not sufficient given the strength of the crowd. He added that the stadium can accommodate only 34,600 people. The advocate general said, 'We have given notices to the Royal Challengers, DNA (an event management company)… FIR has also been filed against them… we are as… concerned as anybody else, it is not that we are hiding. The first statement that the Hon'ble Chief Minister made was giving compensation, medical treatment, coming up with new SOPs…' Making a submission before the court, an advocate asked whether the state government or the Karnataka State Cricket Association had taken the decision to felicitate the cricketers of the RCB franchise. He also questioned the decision to felicitate the players as they did not participate on behalf of the state or the country. Referring to a magisterial inquiry into the stampede ordered by the state government, senior advocate Aruna Shyam said, 'The subdivisional magistrate or deputy commissioner who shall be part of controlling the entire mob has been deputed to inquire into the incident.' He added that an independent inquiry might be required.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Stampede deaths: Karnataka HC takes up suo moto case, SIT may probe lapses
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday took suo moto cognizance of the stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday that claimed 11 lives and left about 90 injured. The tragedy occurred as people rushed to the gates of the congested stadium to see their favourite cricket stars of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team after they lifted the IPL finals cup. There were public interest litigations (PILs) and requests to the court to go deep into the case as they expressed doubts over the event organisers and the government having followed the necessary protocols before holding events of such magnitudes at such short notice. A division bench of acting chief justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice CM Joshi said the court has received requests from several people on the subject to ascertain the cause of the tragedy and prevent such incidents in future. The court posted the case for further hearing to June 10, Tuesday. Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty said the Police Commissioner and other senior police officers were present at the site, but there was an overwhelming crowd of about 2.5 lakh people at the stadium. One of the advocates, speaking on behalf of the affected people, prayed for an independent inquiry insisting that the person (district magistrate) who was supposed to control the mob was deputed to conduct the inquiry now. Another advocate sought to know from the government through the court as to who decided to conduct the events -- the state government or the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA)? Security is RCB responsiblity The A-G, in response to a query from the Bench, said the RCB promoters handled the event and took care of the security as well. A PIL filed by Lohith G Hanumapura requested a judicial probe by a sitting High Court judge, while seeking direction to the state government and the KSCA to share details such as approvals obtained to hold the two events on Wednesday, safety measures and crowd control plans. Bengaluru Urban magistrate G Jagadeesha on Thursday visited the stadium area as part of a magisterial probe the government ordered into the incident with directions to submit the report in two weeks. Earlier in the day, MoS (Labour & Employment) Shobha Karandlaje wrote to the Acting CJ requesting him to take suo moto cognizance of the incident and treat it as a matter of public interest as it reflected a systemic failure and complete collapse of the state responsibility. 'Only the timely intervention of the court would uphold justice and restore public faith in governance and the rule of law, she said. FIR registered Shetty, the advocate general, also informed the Court that the government has transferred the FIR registered at the Cubbon Park police station to the CID with an order to form a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the charges mentioned in the complaint. The Cubbon Park Police on Thursday registered two FIRs naming RCB promoters, event management agency DNA and KSCA as the accused for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and other provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). While one FIR was a suo motu one registered by the Cubbon Park police station, the other one was by an injured person naming the three entities as accused.
Scroll.in
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scroll.in
Karnataka High Court issues notice to state government over Bengaluru stampede
The Karnataka High Court on Thursday issued a notice to the state government over the stampede outside Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium that killed 11 persons and injured 33, Live Law reported. The High Court took suo motu cognisance of the incident and sought a 'further status report' from the state. The stampede took place on Wednesday at Gate Number 3 of the stadium, where fans had gathered to celebrate Royal Challengers Bengaluru's victory in the Indian Premier League and welcome the team. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice CM Joshi said that the Karnataka government has been issued a notice to ascertain 'cause of tragedy and how to prevent it in the future', the legal news outlet reported. The bench also verbally inquired if the state had any standard operating procedures for incidents of this nature. The court remarked: 'Are there any vehicles, which can be made available if such incident happens, which hospitals will the injured be taken? All this is to be included in SOP [standard operating procedure].' The Karnataka government, represented by Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty, responded that the state has taken the incident seriously and will prepare a standard protocol for such accidents. The matter will be heard next on Tuesday. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that the state government will take responsibility for the stampede, The Indian Express reported. 'We are deeply hurt,' he was quoted as saying by the newspaper. ' The victims are our own family…Yes we take it [responsibility]. We are not blaming others though it has happened very unexpectedly.' State Home Minister G Parameshwara has alleged that Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Karnataka State Cricket Association wanted to organise the victory parade and the government only facilitated it, India Today reported. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also made this claim on Wednesday evening, saying: 'It is not us. We didn't make any request regarding the celebration to RCB [Royal Challengers Bengaluru] and KSCA [Karnataka State Cricket Association]. They organised this.' The chief minister had also said that he had ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. He had claimed that 2 lakh to 3 lakh people came for the victory march at the stadium that has a capacity of only 35,000. The Bharatiya Janata Party, meanwhile, has called for Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar's resignations, PTI reported. 'This is clearly the failure of the state government,' BJP MP Sambit Patra said on Thursday. 'The state government will have to own its failure. The chief minister and the deputy chief minister will have to resign for the death of 11 innocent people.' The Board of Control for Cricket in India has distanced itself from the incident saying its responsibilities ended when the cricket tournament ended on Tuesday. 'Once the IPL final is over…BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India] has no role to play on what the franchise and the team go and do on their home ground,' the cricket body's Secretary Devajit Saikia told The Indian Express. '[Royal Challengers Bengaluru] didn't have to inform us or take our permission, and the BCCI doesn't have to monitor them either.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
RCB victory parade stampede: FIR filed against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, event organisers; criminal negligence mentioned
NEW DELHI: The Bengaluru Police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against multiple parties, including the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise, event management firm DNA Entertainment Networks, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Administrative Committee after the Wednesday stampede that claimed 11 lives. The FIR, lodged at the Cubbon Park Police Station stated criminal negligence in the stampede incident, news agency ANI reported. Earlier in the day, Karnataka High Court directed the state government to file a status report on the stampede outside the cricket stadium. The court, after taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, issued notice to the state, and tasked it to file a detailed status report by June 10. A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice C M Joshi directed the court registry to treat the matter as a suo motu public interest litigation petition. RCB announces Rs 10 lakh aid Royal Challengers Bengaluru has pledged Rs 10 lakh in financial aid to the families of each of the 11 fans who died in the tragic crowd surge outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In a statement, the team also announced the launch of a relief initiative, RCB Cares, aimed at supporting the 47 individuals who were injured in the incident. "The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family," the franchise said. "As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced a financial support of ₹10 lakh to each of the 11 families of the deceased. In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident."
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Karnataka HC directs state govt to file status report over stampede
Bengaluru, Karnataka High Court on Thursday directed the state government to file a status report on the stampede outside the cricket stadium here that led to 11 deaths and injuries to over 50 people. The court, after taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, issued notice to the state, and tasked it to file a detailed status report by June 10. A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice V Kameshwar Rao and Justice C M Joshi directed the court registry to treat the matter as a suo motu public interest litigation petition. In the stampede during the IPL victory celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru on June 4, 11 people died and 56 others were injured. When the matter came up before the division bench, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty said the announcement of free entry into the stadium led to a massive rush at the gates, triggering stampede. He made it clear that the government does not intend approaching the matter in an adversarial way. "This is not about blame games. The aim is to understand what went wrong and ensure such tragedies don't recur," he said. Referring to the deployment of police and security personnel during the city-wide celebrations following RCB's IPL title win, the AG said that the situation, however, turned chaotic outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where more than 2.5 lakh people had gathered, far exceeding the venue's capacity of 30,000. "Each person thought just one more was entering the stadium, without realising the overwhelming size of the crowd," he explained. The bench observed that large public events must be guided by clear Standard Operating Procedures . "Ambulances must be available at the venue, and there should be clarity about the nearest hospitals," the Acting Chief Justice noted. Responding to this, the AG said that ambulances were indeed present, but admitted they were not adequate for an emergency of this scale. "The issue was not their absence, but the number," he added. The AG informed the court that a magisterial inquiry had already commenced and it would be completed within 15 days. All the 11 deaths and the injuries to 56 people occurred at three specific gates out of a total of 21. The state is treating the matter with utmost seriousness and notices have been served to all relevant parties, including the event management agency. "We are examining potential lapses. No one is being let off," he told the court. Shetty noted that the Chief Minister's first public statement was regarding compensation for victims' families. "This tragedy calls for reviewing SOPs. We are open to suggestions from the public and the court to avoid such events in future," he said. A public notice has been issued by the inquiry officer, inviting anyone with relevant information or evidence. "Testimonies will be video recorded and submitted to the court. There is full transparency, nothing is being concealed," he assured. Advocate Lohith, who filed a PIL plea, told the court that the people wanted answers on four specific points. Who authorised the felicitation event? Was it the Karnataka government or the state cricket association? What responsibility does the government have in honouring players who have not represented the state or country? Also, why was the event 'split' between Vidhana Soudha and Chinnaswamy Stadium? and what crowd control and safety arrangements were made? Advocate G R Mohan, also representing the PIL petitioner, pointed out that the free entry announcement was made by a representative of the IPL franchise. Despite the massive turnout, only three gates were kept open, which led to bottlenecks and chaos. Senior Advocate Aruna Shyam urged the court to consider appointing an independent agency to ensure impartial inquiry. At the end of the hearing, the bench said it would specify in its order the details required in the status report and posted the matter for further hearing on June 10.
