KSCA makes big exposé, moves high court, blames government for Bengaluru stampede

Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has approached the Karnataka High Court following the tragic stampede outside M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. In response to the FIRs filed in connection with the tragedy, the KSCA President and officials submitted a petition on June 6.

11 people died and 56 others were injured during RCB's IPL victory celebrations on the evening of June 4. The event, organized by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), drew massive crowds. In the aftermath, police registered an FIR against the KSCA, RCB, and the event organizers.

Celebrating the Victory Was Actually Called for by the Government - Karnataka State Cricket Association

According to a report by NDTV, KSCA President Raghuram Bhat, along with Secretary A Shankar and Treasurer ES Jairam, has filed a petition claiming that the FIR against them in connection with the Bengaluru stampede is unjust and wrongly targets them.

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According to the petition accessed by NDTV, the KSCA argued that the victory celebration was held on the directive of the Karnataka government. It stated that the event was not independently planned by the cricket body.

"Celebrating the victory was in fact at the call of the Government. The felicitation was held at the Vidhana Soudha in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy DK Shivakumar, and several Cabinet ministers. Senior bureaucrats and senior police officials were also in attendance," the petition said.

Crowd Management Was Not KSCA’s Responsibility - Association

In their petition, the KSCA also stated that they should not be held accountable for the stampede, adding that the responsibility for crowd control and event arrangements lay with RCB, the event organizers, and the police.

"The gate management and crowd management was not the responsibility of KSCA," the petition said. "It was of RCB, the organiser, and the police."

The petition stated that the accusations do not connect in any way to the actions of the KSCA office-bearers.

"In any case, framing the Petitioners as accused is a serious failure of justice at the hands of police and Government," it said. "The offences alleged cannot be traced to any actions of the Petitioners even remotely."

The KSCA Managing Committee Only Oversees the Venue - Association

The petition stated that the KSCA’s role is limited to overseeing cricket operations and managing the Chinnaswamy Stadium as a rental venue, with no involvement in crowd management or public interactions during events. It emphasized that the KSCA does not handle spectators or fans.

"The KSCA Managing Committee only handles the venue of Chinnaswamy Stadium on rentals and controls cricket in Karnataka. It does not deal with the audience, spectators, or fans," it said.

Meanwhile, police are searching for KSCA secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam, who have been missing since the FIR was filed. Earlier, authorities arrested four individuals, including an RCB official, but the two KSCA officials were not found at their residences.

RCB’s head of marketing, Nikhil Sosale, was arrested by police on Friday. He was arrested at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport around 6:30 am while attempting to travel to Mumbai.

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