Case registered against RCB, state cricket body for criminal negligence over Bengaluru stampede

Bengaluru: Bengaluru police have registered a case against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), DNA Networks, and others in connection with the stampede at M Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed eleven lives and injured several others.

The FIR was filed by the Cubbon Park Police, confirmed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central, Shekar H Tekkannavar. It was registered suo motu and names multiple entities as accused in the case of alleged criminal negligence.

The complaint has been filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), Section 125(12) (acts endangering life or personal safety of others), Section 142 (unlawful assembly), Section 121 (abetment of an offence), and Section 190 (liability of members of an unlawful assembly for offences committed in pursuit of a common object).

The stampede took place during a public event on Wednesday to felicitate the RCB team following their maiden Indian Premier League title win. The Karnataka government allegedly went ahead with the felicitation ceremony the day after RCB’s victory, despite Bengaluru Police recommending it be held on Sunday for logistical and security reasons.

Police had advised holding the ceremony on Sunday, a non-working day, to reduce traffic and allow time for security preparations. Officers had worked late into the nights of June 3 and 4, reportedly till 4 am, managing crowds after RCB’s IPL win, making another early deployment exhausting.