Why Did Bengaluru Police Logged Case Against KSCA, RCB After Stampede Tragedy? FIR Details

Eleven dead as police file FIR against RCB, KSCA, and DNA for deadly stampede at unauthorized victory celebration, citing negligence and misleading fans.

Image: IANS

An FIR has been lodged at the Cubbon Park Police Station following a tragic stampede near the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals. The case names Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), and the DNA agency, which was reportedly in charge of security arrangements for the event.

Cubbon Park Police Station Inspector Girish is the complainant in this case. A case has been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) including Sections 105, 115(2), 118(1), 118(2), 3(5), 190, 132, 125(2), and 125(B).

FIR Details

According to the FIR, on June 3, following RCB’s secured victory after 18 years of wait, a large number of fans gathered at MG Road, UB City, and Church Street, and celebrated throughout the night. Due to this, a large police force was deployed for security. On the same evening, KSCA’s Chief Executive Officer Shubhendru Ghosh came to the station and submitted a request asking for security for a possible victory celebration if RCB won. This request was rejected.

However, it is alleged in the FIR that the KSCA and RCB franchises insisted on conducting the victory celebration despite being denied permission.

The FIR also stated that even though permission was not granted, from the morning of June 4, RCB unilaterally revealed details of the victory celebration and victory parade through its official social media handles and website, inviting fans to gather. As a precaution, the City Police Commissioner arranged for police deployment after receiving approval to manage the crowd at the event.

Security arrangements were made at HAL Airport, the route taken by the RCB team, the hotel where they were staying, and the felicitation program organised by the government at Vidhana Soudha. Until the felicitation program, everything went smoothly.

At 5 PM, given the victory celebration at the Chinnaswamy stadium although the seating capacity was 30,000 to 35,000 but lakhs of fans gathered. The organisations responsible for stadium security, namely DNA, KSCA, and RCB, failed to make decisions on how to regulate entry.

Thousands of fans were outside, and around 3:10 PM, when the stadium gates were opened, there was a sudden rush resulting in a stampede. Eleven people died, and 64 others — including police personnel — were injured, as stated by the Inspector in the complaint.

Without obtaining permission and failing to take precautionary measures, the KSCA management proceeded with the victory celebration. Moreover, RCB officially posted on social media about free passes, which led to lakhs of fans gathering in one place. The lack of proper communication and failure to inform the police caused confusion among fans.

The FIR states that the stampede occurred at gates 2, 2A, 6, 7, 15, 17, 18, 20, and 21, resulting in the death of 11 individuals.