 "Royal Challengers Bengaluru had been named as the first accused in the FIR registered by Bengaluru Police in connection with the stampede at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on 4 June. PTI")
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have on Monday moved the Karnataka High Court to get the criminal case registered against them in connection with the stampede at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium last week quashed. A separate petition has been filed by DNA Entertainment Networks Private Limited, the organiser of the felicitation event at the iconic venue a day after RCB won their maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title.
Royal Challengers Sports Limited (RCSL), the company that owns Royal Challengers Bengaluru, have claimed they have been falsely implicated in the case. In their petition, RCSL has stated that it had clearly mentioned on social media that limited passes would be available for the felicitation event, and that pre-registration was mandatory for those who intended to attend the event, even for free passes.
RCSL added that the gates were supposed to open by 1.45 pm but remained shut until 3 pm, which caused a crowd surge.
DNA Entertainment says lack of police deployment to blame
In its petition, DNA Entertainment contended that the stampede was the result of a shortage of police officers to manage a large crowd that was expected to gather after RCB’s historic victory. It claimed that a majority of the police personnel had been stationed at the Vidhana Soudha, leaving the Chinnaswamy where the crowd was to gather in a vulnerable state.
DNA Entertainment added that it had managed a much larger crowd while successfully organising an open-top bus parade for the Indian cricket team at Mumbai’s Marine Drive last year after the Rohit Sharma-led side won the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean.
Bengaluru Police had registered a First Information Report (FIR) under charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and criminal negligence a day after 11 people had died and up to 75 were injured in a stampede that broke out outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium during RCB’s victory celebration.
RCB were named as the first accused in the FIR that was registered at the Cubbon Park Police Station, with DNA Entertainment and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) named as the second and third accused respectively.
The High Court is slated to hear both petitions as well as the one filed by RCB marketing and revenue head Nikhil Sosale, who had been arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport in the early hours of Friday and has since challenged his arrest as arbitrary and illegal.
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More ShortsKSCA officials, meanwhile, had been granted conditional interim relief from police action. Two senior officials – secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam – however, have since resigned from their posts citing “moral responsibility”.