Bengaluru, which was all set to celebrate Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)’s maiden IPL title win, instead witnessed a tragedy after 11 young people died in a stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In just a few minutes, the jubilation of RCB fans turned into a disaster.
Following the stampede, the Karnataka Government and the city police faced the wrath of the families of the young victims and the public for their lack of preparation, poor planning, and last-minute changes.
Here is what happened in the last 30 hours after the stampede:
The Chinnaswamy stadium stampede
At around 4 pm Wednesday, 11 people died and 56 were injured in the stampede at the M Chinnaswamy cricket stadium. Soon after, the RCB celebrations wound up. RCB cricketer Virat Kohli shared the management’s statement on Instagram, and wrote, “At a loss for words. Absolutely gutted.”
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and several officials visited Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospitals, where the victims were taken, and spoke to their families. BJP leaders, including state unit chief B Y Vijayendra, also visited the hospitals.
On Wednesday night, Siddaramaiah announced the death of 11 people, and Rs 10 lakh compensation to each deceased family, as he assured medical support to those who were injured. The state government appointed G Jagadeesha, Deputy Commissioner, Bengaluru Urban district, to conduct a magisterial inquiry into the lapses and submit a report within 15 days.
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Later in the night, Siddaramaiah also met Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials at his residence for a closed-door meeting.
Government and court actions
By Thursday morning, the bodies of the victims were handed over to the families after post-mortem examinations. Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka D K Shivakumar met the families of the victims.
Deputy Commissioner Jagadeesha inspected the Chinnaswamy cricket stadium, and said notices will be issued to all the parties responsible, including Bengaluru city police commissioner and KSCA.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara also visited the Chinnaswamy cricket stadium, and later held a meeting with officials. The police registered 11 Unnatural Death Reports (UDR) but not FIRs. Later, he said that the Karnataka Government would formulate a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for mega events, meetings and celebrations aimed at preventing any untoward incidents.
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The Karnataka High Court Thursday took suo motu cognisance of the stampede outside the Chinnaswamy stadium. The court heard submissions by Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty on the steps taken by the government, and details of the incident, as well as, submissions on the issue from other lawyers.
Also Read | ‘Ready to give Rs 50 lakh. Will they bring back my son?’: Day after Bengaluru stampede, victims’ kin slam government
A Division Bench, including the acting Chief Justice, ordered that a a status report — to ascertain the reasons behind the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede, and whether it could have been prevented, and remedial measures to be taken to prevent in the future — to be submitted by the next hearing of the matter next Tuesday. The court also directed the Registry to register the matter as a suo motu writ petition.
RCB compensation, FIR and judicial probe
RCB announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the families of those killed, and the establishment of the RCB Cares fund to support those injured in the stampede. “The unfortunate incident in Bengaluru yesterday has caused a lot of anguish and pain to the RCB family. As a mark of respect and a gesture of solidarity, RCB has announced a financial support of INR 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. Our fans will always remain at the heart of everything that we do. We remain united in grief,” it said in a statement.
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The police registered an FIR against RCB, DNA Entertainment Private Limited, and KSCA administration under sections 105 (culpable homicide), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous weapons), 118 (2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) read with 3(5) (joint liability), 190 (unlawful assembly), 132 (assault or criminal force against a public servant to deter them from discharging their duty.), 125 (a) (act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 125 (b) (individual’s act endangers the life or personal safety of others, resulting in hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The FIR also noted that the permission to hold the celebration was denied by the police.
After a Cabinet attended by his deputy Shivakumar, and other ministers, Siddaramaiah announced a judicial probe under Justice Michael D’Cunha to investigate the lapses which led to the stampede.
Siddaramaiah also announced the suspension of city police commissioner B Dayananda, Vikash Kumar Vikash, Additional Commissioner of Police (West); Shekhar H Tekkannavar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central); C Balakrishna, ACP (Cubbon Park Sub-Division), and Inspector Girish AK.
The state government appointed senior IPS officer Seemanth Kumar Singh as the new Bengaluru city police commissioner at around 10.30 pm on Thursday.
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On Friday morning, the Bengaluru police arrested Nikhil Sosale of RCB management and Sunil Mathew of the event management company DNA at the Kempegowda International Airport. The police said they have taken two more people into custody over their involvement in the case.