In the wake of the tragic stampede outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives and injured over 50 people, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) President Raghu Ram Bhat, along with other senior officials, has moved the Karnataka High Court, seeking quashing of the FIR filed against them.
The FIR, registered on Thursday, names the KSCA, Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and event management company DNA Entertainment Networks Pvt Ltd as accused parties responsible for the mishap during the RCB victory celebrations.
The incident occurred on the evening of June 4, just a day after RCB secured their maiden IPL title. The celebration was scheduled at the stadium despite police warnings about crowd control concerns. A massive number of fans gathered outside the venue, leading to chaos, crowd surges, and ultimately, a stampede that left 11 people dead and dozens severely injured.
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Reacting strongly to the tragedy, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah termed the incident the result of “irresponsibility and carelessness” and directed the Director General of Police (DGP) and Inspector General of Police (IGP) to arrest representatives from RCB, DNA Entertainment, and KSCA immediately. So far, four officials linked to RCB and DNA Entertainment have been detained, according to PTI reports.
#KSCA Officials Move #KarnatakaHC To Quash FIR In Bengaluru Stampede Case#BengaluruStampede #Bengaluru #ChinnaswamyStampede https://t.co/p9ZY7mnzsA
— News18 (@CNNnews18) June 6, 2025
The FIR, lodged at Cubbon Park Police Station, classifies RCB as Accused No. 1, DNA Entertainment as Accused No. 2, and KSCA as Accused No. 3. The charges filed fall under several stringent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, voluntarily causing hurt, endangering life, and obstructing public servants.
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According to the FIR, KSCA’s CEO Shubendu Ghosh had approached the Cubbon Park police on Tuesday around 6 p.m. seeking permission to host a felicitation ceremony on Wednesday evening if RCB won the final. However, the police reportedly denied the request, citing that the expected crowd turnout would require extensive planning, manpower deployment, and traffic control — all of which needed more time.
Despite the denial, the FIR states that KSCA, RCB, and DNA Entertainment went ahead with the event on June 4, allegedly ignoring the police’s warnings. Authorities have highlighted this defiance as a central reason for the chaos that ensued, now under a wider probe involving both law enforcement and judicial scrutiny.
