Bengaluru Stampede: RCB owner moves Karnataka HC seeking to quash criminal case against team

Bengaluru Stampede: Royal Challengers Sports Limited (RCSL), the owner of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), has approached the Karnataka High Court seeking to quash the criminal case filed against it in connection with the stampede at Chinnaswamy Stadium on June 4, which resulted in the deaths of 11 people, reported Bar and Bench.

DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd, the event organiser, has also filed a separate petition challenging the FIR against it. RCSL has contended that it has been falsely implicated in the case, news agency PTI reported.

What the petition said

According to the petition, RCSL claimed that it had clearly communicated on social media that only limited passes were available. The RCSL, in its petition also said that even for free passes, pre-registration was mandatory for entry, and alleged that stadium gates, which were supposed to open at 1.45 pm, were actually opened at 3 pm, causing a crowd surge, the PTI report said. 

According to the event management firm, the incident occurred due to failure of crowd management by the police.

CM Siddaramaiah denies link to stadium

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed grief over the stampede outside the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru, saying the incident should not have happened. He also clarified that he "didn't have any connection with the cricket stadium".

According to PTI, the CM, “It was an unfortunate incident, it shouldn't have happened. Such an incident never happened after I became the CM. Prima facie it seems to have happened because of the officials' fault, so we have taken action. Everyone is in pain, including me.” “I don't have any connection with the cricket stadium,” he added. 

The Opposition has demanded the resignation of the CM and deputy CM in this issue. 

‘I shouldn’t have protested in uniform'

Head Constable Narasimharaju, posted at Madiwala police station in Bengaluru, who staged a solo protest against the suspension of the city's Police Commissioner and other officials, is now worried about possible action the government may take against him.

“Whenever this kind of incident happens, there is an option to transfer the officers, but suspending officers, including the police commissioner of Bengaluru, in fact brings the morale of the department and the employees down,” Narasimharaju was quoted as saying by ANI.