Bengaluru:
An FIR was on Thursday filed by the Bengaluru Police against RCB, DNA (event manager), KSCA Administrative Committee and others at Cubbon Park Police Station. The FIR stated criminal negligence in the stampede incident. Sections 105, 125 (1)(2), 132, 121/1, 190 R/w 3 (5) have been invoked in the FIR. Earlier in the day, the Karnataka High Court directed the state government to file a status report on the stampede outside the cricket stadium that led to 11 deaths and injuries to over 33 people.
What happened in the Karnataka HC?
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 CM 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 (RCB) on June 4, over 11 people died and 33 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 to approach 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.
RCB announces 10 lakh assistance for victims' families
In the meantime, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru announced a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of the 11 supporters who lost their lives in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the team's victory celebrations.
"The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family," said an RCB statement on Thursday.
"As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced a financial support of Rs 10 lakh to each of the eleven families of the deceased. In addition, a fund called RCB Cares is also being created to support fans injured in this tragic incident," it added.
RCB faces criticism for going ahead with victory celebrations
The RCB has drawn widespread criticism for going ahead with the victory celebrations just a day after winning the trophy, denying the administration and police authorities enough time to arrange adequate security needed for an event of such magnitude.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has already questioned the lapses in arrangements on Wednesday and also stressed the need for proper coordination between the franchise, the police and the district administration for the smooth conduct of such a programme.
He cited the seamless victory parade in Mumbai, which drew lakhs on to the streets, after India's T20 World Cup triumph last year as a case in point.